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Idaho boosts community reentry operations, parole staffing in FY26 requests
Summary
The Department of Correction asked for expanded community reentry operations (notably at Pocatello), additional parole officers in Districts 3 and 4, drug testing enhancements and a small pilot for medications for opioid use disorder.
The Idaho Department of Correction asked the Joint Finance Preparations Committee to fund expanded community reentry operations and additional parole staffing on Feb. 4, citing the agency's goal of reducing recidivism and improving community supervision capacity.
Analyst Noah Peterson said the Community Corrections Division has 511.35 full-time positions and requested multiple items for FY2026, including a personnel annualization for staff added at the Pocatello Community Reentry Center (the agency had 17 positions funded for six months in FY2025 and requested about $680,700 to annualize those 17 FTP), plus ongoing operations to bring the Pocatello center to an approximately $2.4 million annual operating level if fully funded. Other FY2026 requests included $212,300 for general inflation (repairs, fuel, supplies), and $1,574,100 for replacement items (vehicles, radios, kitchen equipment, resident clothing), all recommended by the governor.
Peterson summarized previous investments: a $1.3 million appropriation to expand community reentry programming and 16 full-time positions in earlier years; 20 FTP appropriated across divisions for reentry specialists and administrative support; and targeted appropriations for transitional housing ($750,000) and expanded drug testing ($721,200). The division also received funding to pilot medications for opioid use disorder in custody, adding two FTP to coordinate in-custody medication and community-based treatment as residents are released.
Parole officer pay and staffing were also addressed. A $522,900 appropriation raised starting pay for parole officers by 85 cents to $25.85 per hour and added six FTP and $616,500 ongoing for parole officers in Districts 3 and 4.
Director Josh Tewalt and committee members discussed program metrics and service gaps. Senator Sandra Wintrow asked whether the mental-health and substance-use disorder gap analysis belonged to this portion of the budget; Tewalt said it was appropriate context, that the department has seen progress in closing treatment availability gaps and that over 2,000 people received mental-health services and well over 3,000 received substance-use services in recent reporting.
Committee members asked for operational detail and outcome metrics; the agency offered to provide additional analysis and dashboards already used in supervision and reentry programs.
