Oregon Public Broadcasting

This week Idaho and Washington are bringing inmates back from out-of-state prisons.

Idaho says its efforts to reduce its prison population are paying off. Washington has added prison space.

Meanwhile, Oregon may be headed another direction.  Correspondent Doug Nadvornick reports.

Idaho has so many inmates that it sends some of them to prisons in Oklahoma and Texas. Now, Department of Corrections Director Brent Reinke says the state has cleared space for about 80 of them in Idaho.

The state has done that by streamlining other parts of its correctional system.

Brent Reinke: “We as a state have been working much closer with the parole commission. And we’ve had many more inmates complete programming and have them ready for the parole commission to hear their case...11, 12, 13 additional inmates a month.”

The state is clearing more space by releasing inmates who aren’t considered dangerous to community drug and alcohol treatment programs.

The result? More inmates supervised in the community, fewer behind bars. Reinke says that has saved Idaho nearly $9 million in the last year.

Brent Reinke: “The Department of Corrections has been growing about seven-percent annually over the last decade. And our goal is to find ways and invest in ways that we can see a better return.”

Idaho will have about 1300 new prison beds available in the next few years.

Extra space is the reason Washington was able to bring offenders home this week. Prison Administrator Joe Thatcher says an expansion at the state penitentiary in Walla Walla allowed Washington to shift inmates among prisons.

Oregon may be increasing its prison population if voters approve two anti-crime measures on the November ballot. Neither measure provides funding sources.