Six inmates, including two convicted murderers, came out of their cells and refused to return Sunday at Idaho's Maximum Security Institution near Boise after a computer locking system failed for the eleventh time in a month.

-- Anonymous, January 29, 2003

Answers

Lock Failure At Boise's Maximum Security Prison

There are 552 inmates at Idaho's Maximum security prison and there is a growing concern that electronically controlled doors that keep them locked in are failing. 

It happened recently in one of the maximum security tiers as a shift commander Sgt. Rodney Schlienz was making his way through the tier.

"I noticed the cell doors on tier one of B-block were opening. I looked up at the control center and the control center officer is going like this...I am not pushing any buttons, I am not opening any doors."

It is a problem that is also happening at the Idaho Correctional Institute in Orofino. 400 inmates are effected there. Both institutions use the same 1989 designed system to open and lock cell doors. According to the Idaho Department of Correction that means a total 952 inmates are being held in a facilities where the locking mechanisms keeping them in their cells have been failing.

The failures include what the department terms 8 'serious incidents' over the last 6 months, and at least 2 power failures within the electronic circuitry that runs the system occurring each week.  

Teresa Jones, spokeswoman for the Idaho Department of Correction says the problems are serious.  "It is a possibility that inmates could be at danger, our professional staff could be at danger. It is a very critical situation."

The problem the prison is having right now with its locks is coming at a time, when officials just recently foiled an escape attempt by one of their more notorious inmates.

Inmate Michael Brae, a suspected serial killer, was discovered last week with rope, gloves made from blankets and diagrams of keys in an effort authorities believe was a planned escape. Problems with doors opening on their own only make the situation more tense for correctional officers like Schlienz. "Exactly...This institution houses closed custody and restrictive housing and death row inmates and there are some inmates out here that will take advantage of those breeches in security."

Corrections officials are asking for an immediate $3 million dollars to fix the problem to make sure some of the state's most dangerous inmates stay in their cells.

KBCI

-- Anonymous, January 31, 2003

Faulty prison locks have lawmakers baffled

Legislative budget writers said Monday they canīt understand why a faulty prison electronic lock system hasnīt been replaced, even though they keep authorizing the Department of Correction to spend $3 million to fix the problem.

But the Kempthorne administration said the answer is simple: The department is still designing a new system and wonīt be ready to spend the money for the lock-system overhaul for several more months.

Sen. Shawn Keough, R-Sandpoint, said the Legislature gets the blame as cell doors pop open by themselves, freeing prisoners in the stateīs maximum-security prison and on Death Row.

“The headlines in the media say the Legislature hasnīt taken care of this problem, and we have,” Keough complained.

Last month, six inmates at the stateīs maximum-security prison refused to return to their cells after the electronic locking system failed and let them out.

Two years ago, the governor and lawmakers agreed to spend $3 million to overhaul the 14-year-old system, but after the stateīs economic fortunes continued to fall apart last fall, Gov. Dirk Kempthorne scuttled $25 million in maintenance and repair projects throughout the state, including $2 million of the $3 million to replace the locking system.

The department can use $1 million to design the locking system.

The remaining $2 million is in Kempthorneīs budget proposal for the fiscal year that starts July 1.

Lawmakers are under no obligation to accept Kempthorneīs plan, and several expressed frustration that the prison system problems havenīt been fixed.

“Letīs not play games with the money weīve authorized, and letīs get going,” Senate Finance Chairman Dean Cameron said.

But Kempthorne Budget Bureau Chief Brad Foltman said that even if the money were made available this spring, the department couldnīt use it until design work is finished.

Department of Correction spokeswoman Teresa Jones said a design engineer is at the prison this week.

Idaho Statesman

-- Anonymous, February 04, 2003