POCATELLO, ID – An investigation into abuse and rape by guards in women’s prisons throughout Idaho is turning up calls for reform to the system.
Reporting from InvestigateWest found dozens of cases of guards abusing incarcerated women. Of the 37 prison workers reporters uncovered over the past decade, 18 resigned after the incident or before a report was made.
Rep. Marco Erickson, R-Idaho Falls, said the issue is new to him and he finds it unacceptable. He wants to close the loophole in Idaho’s federal rape law which makes it so incarcerated people are only protected when their genitals are touched.
“It is unacceptable on every level and that should count, and you should be held accountable to the law and potentially have a court hearing on that,” Erickson stressed.
Under the federal Prison Rape Elimination Act, any inappropriate touching from a guard is illegal. Of the 37 workers accused of abuse, three were criminally charged and only one was sentenced. The Idaho Department of Correction said there is a zero-tolerance policy for abuse and all allegations are investigated.
Erickson noted ensuring the agency is upholding its internal policies could be an avenue for improving conditions in prisons in the short term. For long-lasting fixes, Erickson argued most lawmakers lack knowledge about the issue and a survey of as many people as possible would be useful for guiding them.
“One potential idea is an anonymous survey that’s conducted by an external organization that all staff of the prison system participate and all inmates, and all who are on parole or probation that have been in previously,” Erickson suggested.
Lawmakers could also call on Idaho’s Office of Performance Evaluation to review the Idaho Department of Corrections, although Erickson believes the process would take too long.
He added he met with some of the women who were abused in prison. Erickson emphasized he does not want people currently incarcerated to lose confidence in the system, which is supposed to protect them.
“We want them to trust that someone on the other end will actually help or attempt to help make it to where they don’t feel like they’re being let down,” Erickson underscored. “That’s important to me.”
