Idaho’s Already Full Prisons Get More Crowded

The state’s already full prisons are getting more crowded as the inmate population grows at a significantly increased rate.

The Idaho State Journal reports the inmate population has increased more in the past nine months than during the previous five years.

More than 370 inmates were added to Idaho prisons during the first nine months of the current fiscal year, which started in July. About 220 inmates were added to the state’s prisons during the previous five years.

Idaho’s inmate population now totals 7,951, with about 700 housed in county jails.

In eastern Idaho, Caribou County Sheriff Ric Anderson says the overflow program has worked out well for his jail. It raises nearly $600,000 a year housing inmates for the state, money that will go toward a new jail.

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Information from: Idaho State Journal, http://www.journalnet.com