Lawmakers on the Criminal Justice Reinvestment Oversight Committee are at the Statehouse today for an update on the state’s justice reinvestment program, and to start things off, Co-Chairman Rep. Rich Wills, R-Glenns Ferry, encouraged them to take advantage of opportunities to make unannounced visits to state prisons. Two reported that they’ve done just that.

Sen. Jim Rice, R-Caldwell, said, “Reps. Youngblood, Perry and Chaney and I dropped in at ICC about a month ago at about 8:30 p.m. We hit towards the end of the shift; we toured the entire facility.” He said the lawmakers were able to visit openly with staffers at all levels, and they were willing to talk about both what they think is working and isn’t working. “In a correctional environment … they just won’t, if you have distrust of the management staff, the supervisors,” he said. “We have a very healthy environment with our line staff with regard to their trust of their administrators and their supervisors.”

“We do have some things that are still being worked through,” Rice said. “It’s real hard to sugar-coat anything if you drop in announced. They don’t make you wait, they just send you out, let you go wherever you want in the facility. I appreciate that, and I appreciate the change, because it’s not something that would have been offered or invited or encouraged several years ago.” The Idaho State Correctional Center previously was run by a private contractor, Corrections Corp. of America; now it’s operated by the state.

Sen. Cherie Buckner-Webb, D-Boise, said she visited the state women’s prison in Pocatello. “I had great access,” she said, both to inmates and staff. “It was seamless, nobody hid or ran or whatever, and I had free access. I was really impressed with that.”

Will said, “That’s exactly, precisely what we really encourage is to make those unannounced visits, and that’s where the reality really hits of what’s going on. When you get those positive reactions from legislators, that’s not always common everywhere. So I’m excited to hear that. … It really does have an impact, and there’ no question it’s a positive impact.”

State Corrections Director Kevin Kempf said he’s glad to let the “sunshine in” on Idaho’s prison system.