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Idaho seeks to expand reentry centers, probation staffing and opioid disorder pilot in community corrections budget
Summary
The Department of Correction requested continued funding to expand community reentry operations, annualize newly added positions at the Pocatello reentry center, add parole officers, and pilot medications for opioid use disorder for incarcerated people.
Agency budget staff told the Joint Finance Preparations Committee on Feb. 4 that the community corrections division seeks funds to annualize new community reentry operations, expand probation and parole staffing in higher‑need districts and pilot medications for opioid use disorder for people exiting custody.
Noah Peterson, a budget and policy analyst, said the division has 511.35 full‑time positions allocated and highlighted a FY2025 appropriation that added staff and operations for community reentry centers, including the Pocatello Community Reentry Center. The agency requested $680,700 to annualize personnel costs for 17 positions added midyear and said the total ongoing budget for the Pocatello center would be about $2.4 million if the request is approved.
Peterson described other enhancements: 6 ongoing full‑time positions and $616,500 for parole officers in Districts 3 and 4; 2 FTP for a pilot to coordinate medications for opioid use disorder (MOUD) both in custody and in transition to community care; expanded drug testing that includes fentanyl; and $750,000 for transitional housing and reentry supports.
Peterson and Director Josh Tewalt said expanding administrative support at reentry centers and resources for case managers is intended to reduce recidivism by increasing access to treatment and housing services. The department characterized many prior expansions as part of a broader, multi‑year effort to shift resources into community supervision and reentry services. The agency noted that prior transfers and maintenance changes had reshaped fund lines and that some positions were initially funded as partial‑year costs and need full‑year funding to remain in the base.
No questions required further immediate action; staff said amounts were recommended by the governor and more detailed replacement lists and vehicle inventories were available in the budget appendix.
