Recent violent crimes in Kansas City and St. Louis have led to familiar calls for tougher laws and longer prison sentences. Whenever a tragedy happens, the public is told the same thing — that the solution is to be “tougher on crime.” This overly simplistic knee-jerk “solution” has repeatedly proven to be ineffective and costly.…
Ada County Jail has launched a new education-based initiative aimed at reducing recidivism and improving reentry outcomes for individuals in custody. In partnership with the National Sheriffs’ Association, the jail has adopted the IGNITE program — Inmate Growth Naturally and Intentionally Through Education — becoming the third Idaho facility to implement it, following the Bonneville…
As part of renewed deportation efforts, the Trump administration has pushed states to provide personal data from voter rolls, driver’s license records, Medicaid, and food assistance programs, while also working to consolidate information across federal agencies into a centralized database. For individuals facing criminal charges or immigration concerns, this growing coordination raises serious Fourth Amendment…
Idaho’s mental health court programs have helped hundreds of people rebuild their lives, but new state budget cuts could put those programs at risk. One Twin Falls father credits mental health court with saving his life. After the death of his younger brother, he spiraled into depression and alcoholism. During a crisis, he attempted to…
Across the country, thousands of children are pushed into the adult criminal justice system through a practice known as automatic charging. In 28 states and Washington, D.C., certain charges and age thresholds require prosecutors to file cases against youth directly in adult court—without any meaningful judicial review. This policy ignores decades of research on adolescent…
Idaho’s prisons are beyond capacity, and the consequences are hitting taxpayers, families, and the justice system all at once. New budget figures from the Idaho Department of Correction (IDOC) show the state is incarcerating more than 10,000 people despite having space for just over 8,200 in its prisons. When beds run out, Idaho sends people…
One of the most basic promises in the Constitution is simple: the government does not get to kick in your door without a judge’s permission. That principle is not symbolic — it is the core protection of the Fourth Amendment. A newly revealed internal ICE directive suggests the federal government may be trying to sidestep…
Suicides in jails are a growing and deeply concerning issue, with many facilities across the country struggling to prevent these tragic events. Incarcerated individuals, often facing mental health challenges and isolation, are at a higher risk of taking their own lives. Despite efforts to address the problem, too many jails continue to fail in providing…
In Idaho, harsh drug sentences are a significant driver behind the rising rates of female incarceration. Over the past few decades, the state’s tough-on-crime policies, particularly regarding drug-related offenses, have led to an alarming increase in the number of women behind bars. Many of these women are incarcerated for non-violent offenses, often related to addiction…
Idaho’s public defense system is about to undergo a seismic shift, leaving many attorneys and officials concerned about the future of legal representation in the state. Beginning Oct. 1, a system 10 years in the making will give the newly formed State Public Defender office broad control over county public defense services. The changes, made…