Access To Religious Services Shut Down For New Inmates

While they are in the reception-diagnostic unit, new state prison inmates will have no access to religious services, prison officials have decreed.

It takes about 10 days to process new prisoners through the reception diagnostic unit. During that period, the new inmates will have to do without religious activities, according to a policy adopted Dec. 18.

“We have just eliminated any sort of religious interaction during the 10 days they are in the RDU,” said Department of Correction spokesman Mark Carnopis.

“Once they get out of the RDU, no matter where they wind up, they will have full access to any religious opportunities,” he said.

Carnopis said the change was taken in part to ease the strain on weekend prison staff. “We have a real limited staff at the institution on weekends,” he said.

It also will allow new arrivals to focus on becoming a prison inmate.

All male inmates coming into the Idaho prison system are processed first at the reception-diagnostic facility, even those headed to a diversion program that might allow them to be released on probation after 120 days of evaluation.

Carnopis said inmates get a full medical examination and testing to determine their educational status before going into the regular prison system.