Inmates at a prison near Boise were frequently housed in so-called "dry cells" without running water or mattresses except for a handful of days when a court-appointed examiner visited the facility, according to documents. The AP reports that the records detailing the use of the dry cells were presented to U.S. District Court Judge David Carter on Thursday during a contempt of court hearing in a long-running lawsuit over prison health care.

Inmates at the Idaho State Correctional Institution have asked the judge to sanction the state, saying officials misled the court-appointed examiner, and therefore, the court. They contend prison officials tampered with medical records, hid problem inmates and otherwise deceived the examiner during his visits to the prison in 2011 and 2012. AP reporter Rebecca Boone has a full report here.