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Idaho seeks to annualize staff for Pocatello reentry center, expand treatment pilots
Summary
The Department of Correction requested funding to annualize personnel for the Pocatello Community Reentry Center, expand transitional housing and piloted medications for opioid use disorder for incarcerated individuals, and to add parole staff in specific districts.
The Idaho Department of Correction requested ongoing funding on Feb. 4 to support operations and staff at community reentry centers, including annualizing personnel for the Pocatello center and funding additional parole officers in selected districts.
Noah Peterson, budget analyst for the Legislative Services Office, told the committee the Community Corrections Division has 511.35 FTP and that the department seeks $680,700 to annualize 17 Pocatello Community Reentry Center positions that were initially funded for six months. Peterson said annualizing the positions would raise the Pocatello center’s ongoing budget to about $2.4 million.
The division also described other community investments: a $1.3 million expansion of community reentry operations, $750,000 for transitional housing and $721,200 for expanded drug testing that would include detection of opioids such as fentanyl. The department requested six FTP and $616,500 ongoing for parole officers in Districts 3 and 4 and earlier increases to starting pay for parole officers were noted.
The Community Based Substance Use Disorder Treatment division asked the committee to continue trustee and benefit payments, which comprised about 51.8% of that division’s FY2024 expenditures, and to keep personnel resources for screening and treatment coordination. The division also highlighted prior adjustments after Medicaid expansion reduced some state costs in FY2021, and a transfer of $1 million into community corrections that netted to zero across agency budgets.
Senator Wintrow asked whether the committee should address service gaps for mental‑health and substance‑use care in the community; Director Josh Tewalt said the department’s gap analysis shows progress and cited thousands of people receiving mental‑health or substance‑use treatment in recent reporting.
Peterson said the governor recommended the department’s replacement and inflation requests for vehicle and equipment needs and that the committee would consider the annualization and program enhancements in upcoming budget decisions.
