Oversight & ethics enforcementSexual abuse & harassment

Idaho lawmakers order independent review of how the state handles sexual-misconduct allegations against women's prison staff

Confidence: Confirmed · 2 sourcesIdaho · Oct 13, 2026

Subject of this story

Idaho Department of Correction

Also named

Oversight

Idaho Office of Performance Evaluations

Idaho Joint Legislative Oversight Committee

What happened

On March 13, 2026 the Idaho Joint Legislative Oversight Committee directed the Office of Performance Evaluations to assess the state's prevention, reporting, investigation of and response to staff sexual misconduct allegations in women's prisons, InvestigateWest reported. The request followed InvestigateWest's October 2025 reporting, which found allegations against dozens of guards were inconsistently tracked, often dismissed without thorough investigation and rarely prosecuted. InvestigateWest reports the Department of Correction defended its process, had not identified factual errors in the reporting, updated its sexual misconduct policy and backed a bill to close a gap in state law. The OPE will publish a public report.

Sources (2)

InvestigateWestDuring a meeting Friday, March 13, bipartisan members of the Joint Legislative Oversight Committee directed Idaho’s Office of Performance Evaluation to assess the state’s prevention, reporting, investigations and response to allegations of staff sexual misconduct, and to provide recommendations for improvement.

Office of Performance Evaluations - Idaho State LegislatureIn March 2026, JLOC approved the following study requests: Factors Driving Growth in Prison Population Impacts of Growth on Agriculture and Infrastructure Oversight of Sexual Assault in Women’s Correctional Facilities Boards of Community Guardians

Response

Idaho Department of Correction

Statement given

Contacted and responded — exact wording not on record.

What happened next (0)

No outcome recorded yet.

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