Bill Would Set Up Prison Review Boards

Sen. Clint Stennett, D-Ketchum, wants local communities to have the ability to accept or deny private prisons moving into their back yards.

The Senate Local Government Committee agreed Monday to introduce a bill that would allow communities to create an 11-member board to determine if their towns are a proper place for a nonstate owned prison.

The site-review board would have representatives from the state corrections, law enforcement and transportation departments, a sheriff, licensed architect, prosecuting attorney and member of the public. Two city council members and two county commissioners also would help evaluate local impact, engineering plans, risk and public comment.

Each private group interested in building a prison in an Idaho community would pay a $7,500 bidding fee to help pay the board’s investigative cost, Stennett said.

“It’s a stab at establishing a process,” he said.