June 23, 2026

I prepare my parole plan even though the correctional system strongly discourages me from doing so until I am less than a year out. I can’t understand the need to wait so long. While there is some information that is available to us regarding places to live and work, it is sorely out of date.

Unless you’re able to prove that you have people on the outside who will let you live with them and a job, you must parole to the state district where you were arrested. That puts me at grave risk because the only people I know from my hometown are drug addicts. I decide to start attending church services to create a network of friends who might assist me in being approved for parole. Case managers are sorely overworked and provide limited, if any, support in preparing inmates for release.

Obama, Biden, and Trump all chastised Idaho politicians and judges for their abusive prison system. It’s no secret that Idaho needs prison system revenue to survive, and it thus strikes me as odd that correctional leadership can’t see what is so obvious to prisoners; if the correctional institution invested more in effectively preparing inmates for speedy release and ensuring successful parole, we could start paying back restitution and any other fees owed to Idaho that much sooner.

Parole officers need to stop being rewarded for violating parolees for the smallest infraction during parole; they should be compensated for vigilantly connecting parolees to rehabilitation centers, arranging for transportation to and from work, connecting parolees with potential future employers, and identifying all opportunities for parolees to take full advantage of any government assistance available.