Corrections Board Bones Up On Rules

Idaho Board of Correction members reviewed the state’s open meetings law Thursday and vowed to comply with it.

“We want to make sure that the open meeting law is followed,” Chairman John Hayden said. “We read it again. We’re concerned with that and don’t want to get in any kind of trouble by not following it. … We don’t want to hide anything.”

The board has gone into closed session in the past year to discuss topics including proposed legislation, alternate punishments for crimes and ways to improve parole hearing procedures. Those don’t appear to fit the open meetings law’s narrow exceptions for discussions of pending litigation or personnel matters.

Corrections Director Jim Spalding noted that the board never made any decisions in its closed-door meetings.

Said Sandpoint board member Janet Jenkins, “If we did violate, it’s certainly inadvertent.”