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Legislative analysts outline funding to annualize Pocatello reentry staff, add parole officers and pilot opioid‑medication support
Summary
The committee reviewed requests to annualize personnel at the Pocatello Community Reentry Center, to fund additional parole officers and to pilot medications for opioid use disorder for incarcerated people, among other community corrections enhancements.
The Joint Finance Preparations Committee reviewed several Community Corrections and Community Reentry budget requests on Feb. 4, including annualization of personnel at the Pocatello Community Reentry Center, funding for additional parole officers and a medications for opioid use disorder pilot.
Noah Peterson, budget and policy analyst, said the Pocatello CRC had recently gained positions whose first six months were funded elsewhere; the committee was asked to approve a fiscal‑year 2026 annualization request of $680,700 to keep 17 positions funded on an ongoing basis. Peterson said the total ongoing budget for the Pocatello CRC would be about $2.4 million if the annualization is approved.
The division also requested ongoing appropriations for expanded drug testing that includes testing for opioids such as fentanyl, $721,200 for that expansion, and $750,000 for transitional housing and related reintegration supports, Peterson said. The community based substance use disorder treatment division described a pilot to provide medications for opioid use disorder (MOUD) while people are incarcerated and to coordinate community treatment at release; the committee was briefed that two FTP would support case managers coordinating the pilot.
Peterson summarized prior investments and growth for the division: probation and parole staffing increases and a net rise in community reentry operating costs. He also noted ongoing replacement items and inflationary requests across the division for vehicles, radios and supplies; those replacement requests were recommended by the governor.
Director Josh Tewalt introduced the project context during discussion of Recidiviz and community data tools, and committee members asked for additional background on treatment availability. Senator Wintrow asked about a gap analysis and Tewalt said Medicaid expansion had narrowed service gaps and that thousands of people were receiving mental‑health and substance‑use treatment under current arrangements.
No formal appropriation actions were taken at the hearing. Committee members requested written follow‑up on implementation of GPS geo‑tracking pilot and evaluations and asked agency staff to provide data on pilot outcomes and utilization prior to any long‑term funding decisions.
