Idaho National Guard to provide support at IDOC facilities

Jan. 31 -- The Idaho Department of Correction is grateful to the men and women of the Idaho National Guard and to the Idaho Office Emergency Management for helping the Department respond to ongoing staff shortages resulting from COVID-19.

Today 201 IDOC staff members are unable to report to work because they recently tested positive for the virus or had close contact with someone who tested positive. That is the highest number of staff absences since the pandemic began.

The National Guard will provide support to IDOC at facilities in the South Boise Correctional Complex. Guard personnel may deploy to the Department’s facilities elsewhere in the state if necessary.

The National Guardsmen will help with a variety of duties including conducting wellness checks of residents, administering COVID-19 tests, performing facility perimeter patrols, staffing the facilities’ front entrances and conducting periodic resident counts.

We are grateful to Gov. Little for making the National Guard available to us at this challenging time,” said IDOC Director Josh Tewalt. “We also thank Idaho National Guard Major General Michael Garshak and Idaho Office of Emergency Management’s Director Brady Richy for helping us assure the continued safe operation of our correctional facilities.”

IDOC incarcerates 7,200 people at nine prisons and four community reentry centers in Idaho. In addition, 1,556 people are incarcerated under the department’s jurisdiction in county jails and two private correctional facilities.