"Fill-in" strategy working at Shoshone County Jail
WALLACE – The Shoshone County Commissioners met with Shoshone County Sheriff Holly Lindsey and Undersheriff Lance Stutzke last week where they updated the board on the status of their jail fill-in strategy.
In February, Lindsey requested that the commissioners allow them to utilize funds from the jail’s salary budget to pay patrol deputies to assist in the jail due to severe understaffing.
The board approved $12,000 of the unspent wages to be utilized, which was moved into its own line item on the budget so that it was easier for the clerk and SCSO to track how much money was being spent.
The board asked them to come back after a month to report on how Lindsey’s plan was working out and to see what the financial hit on the county would be.
According to Stutzke, the jail spent $7,500 of the $12,000 during the past 30 days, with the primary focus being providing jail coverage during the jail’s high liability times, including overnights, during dinner time, transport, and medical holds, and during times of high sickness.
“It’s definitely a benefit to have them there,” Stutzke said. “The jail is way overcrowded right now.”
During the meeting, both SCSO administrators brought up another issue that is plaguing them and many other counties across the state.
Shoshone County’s jail is designed to house 48 inmates and staff 12 jailors, including the jail captain. Currently, they have four dedicated jail staff, including the jail captain. According to Lindsey, the starting wage for a detention deputy is $21.22 per hour.
According to Stutzke, 23 of the jail’s current 55 inmates are state prisoners who have been sentenced and are waiting to be moved from the county jail to a state facility. He told the commissioners that he’s reached out to the Idaho Department of Corrections concerning the issue but is awaiting a response.
“They’re supposed to come get them, but they’ve been using us as a holding hub,” Stutzke said. “In the past, when we have the staffing, we can hold 20 of them but right now we can’t safely accommodate that.”
Among the inmates currently being housed at Shoshone County Jail are convicted murderer Stephanie Paris, who was sentenced on August 7, 2023, to 22 years in prison, but remains in the custody of the Shoshone County Sheriff’s Office.
Stutzke further explained that the state pays counties $75 a day to house their inmates, but that it costs the county roughly $100 per day to house them. If Stutzke’s numbers are accurate, the county has lost nearly $15,000 since Paris was sentenced.
“We’re not the only county having this issue with IDOC,” Lindsey said. “Multiple counties are having issues with IDOC not taking inmates in a timely manner after they’re sentenced.”
Lindsey explained that IDOC has told them in the past that their facilities are also full.
Both Stutzke and Lindsey explained that lowering the inmate population would dramatically improve the safety of the jail and relieve some of the need for additional staffing.
In the meantime, the board agreed to continue shifting funds from the jail salary budget into the jail fill-in line item to cover the additional hours for the patrol deputies working in the jail.
The jail is still seeking applicants for the open jail positions.
Holly Lindseybut has received minimal interest.