Ex-Idaho prisoner who complained about medical care sentenced on felony charge
Bobby Templin smiled as he walked out of the Ada County Courthouse on Tuesday morning.
Minutes earlier, the 34-year-old was seated in 4th District Judge Cynthia Yee-Wallace’s courtroom waiting to hear whether he’d go back to the prison where he was in custody the past three years. He was facing up to five more years behind bars for striking a corrections officer during a large-scale fight that broke out at Idaho State Correctional Center, south of Boise, in January 2023.
His Boise-based attorney, Mike French, attempted — and failed — to get the felony battery charge against Templin dropped last year, arguing that prosecutors charged him in retaliation for “dar(ing) to speak out against the persistent medical neglect he suffered at the hands” of the Idaho Department of Correction.
French was referencing an article the Idaho Statesman published detailing Templin’s attempts to get medical care after his hand was fractured in prison. Records obtained by the Statesman showed that it took several months for Templin to see a surgeon, despite his continual complaints about pain and pleas for help. By then, his broken thumb “healed with a deformity,” his doctor wrote in a medical record.
He’s since filed a lawsuit against the state’s prison system and its for-profit private medical provider, Centurion Health, alleging that the agencies violated his constitutional rights to be protected from “cruel and unusual punishment” and to receive adequate medical care while incarcerated.
Templin accepted a plea deal in January. He agreed to plead guilty to the battery charge in exchange for an additional persistent violator enhancement, which could have carried up to life in prison, to be dropped. The officer wasn’t injured and didn’t require any medical attention.
Instead of additional incarceration, his attorney asked for probation Tuesday. French argued in her sentencing memorandum that Templin was already “punished severely” by the state’s prison system for striking the officer, referring to 666 days that Templin spent in solitary confinement at the Idaho Maximum Security Institution after the prison fight.
If Templin was sentenced to prison, he’d go back to the state’s maximum security facility, which saw an influx of alcohol production last summer and doesn’t offer many opportunities for substance abuse treatment. He asked staff at the maximum security prison for substance abuse treatment for when he was placed back into general population, but was told “there’s no treatment here,” French said in court, referencing a request form submitted by Templin.
“Our facilities are notoriously understaffed, underfunded, and we know that,” French said. “If you compare what’s on offer for Bobby, should he go back into prison, versus what he’s taking advantage of through the tribal clinic — there’s just no comparison.”
Templin got out of prison roughly six weeks ago and said he’s doing everything he can to succeed. Days after getting out, he enrolled in both substance abuse and mental health counseling, got put on medication for anxiety and began working as an apprentice electrician. He now plans to enroll in school to become a certified electrician.
“I really don’t want to go back,” Templin told Yee-Wallace Tuesday. “I just want to stay on this path that I’m on. I feel good for the first time in my life.”
Despite a request from the Ada County Prosecutor’s Office for prison time, Yee-Wallace placed Templin on probation. But she warned him that it would be a “very structured” probation that will require him to manage his substance abuse and mental health issues daily.
Ada County Deputy Prosecutor Kallan Oliver asked Yee-Wallace to sentence Templin to a total of five years in prison with the possibility of parole after one year. She argued that at least a year behind bars was a fair sentence in light of the time Templin spent in solitary confinement, which she called “significant.”
While Oliver said the prosecution didn’t seek to “diminish the severity” of the nearly two years Templin spent in isolation, it wasn’t a punishment dolled out by the court.
“The state is glad he’s getting his feet under him. That is important,” Oliver said. “We also must recognize that it’s only been a few weeks since he was discharged from IDOC. This is a crime that requires punishment, and this is a crime that the defendant has yet to be punished for.”
Based on his psychological evaluation, Yee-Wallace said that if Templin can manage his mental health and substance abuse issues, he’s at a low risk of reoffending. If he can’t, then he could end up back in prison. She added that he has a “double whammy” of managing struggles with both substance abuse and mental health.
Once Templin has completed three years of probation — as long as he’s managing his treatment and hasn’t violated the law — he’ll be able to request that Yee-Wallace remove his supervision or end his probation early.
“I wish you the very best of luck,” Yee-Wallace told Templin. “Hopefully, you don’t see me again until you’re at the three-year mark.”
‘I’m doing good’: Templin enrolled in treatment programs
Templin ended up in prison in 2022 for possession of controlled substance after his father, Bob Templin, reported his son’s relapse to law enforcement. But Bob Templin has also been a constant advocate and supporter for his son, driving down from the Coeur d’Alene area to Boise to visit Bobby Templin behind glass panels at the maximum security prison for years.
He also pushed for Bobby Templin’s release from prison after his thumb was fractured, contacting prison officials, politicians and the Idaho Commission of Pardons and Parole, asking to let his son out early so he could address his medical and mental health issues. He wasn’t released until his sentence ended.
“I turned him in. He was on heroin and I told him I wouldn’t put up with it,” Bob Templin told the Statesman back in 2023. “I’m kind of sorry now that I ever turned him in, but, you know, I’m a law-abiding citizen, and I just wasn’t going to put up with it. I thought that he would get some help.”
Templin acknowledged in court that he’s struggled with addiction from a young age, and it’s what led to his incarceration, but he said he’s committed to staying sober and hasn’t “touched anything” since he’s been out of prison. He also spoke about the support his father has shown him throughout the years, making the long drive down for almost every one of his court hearings.
“So, thank you, Dad,” Bobby Templin said, looking back at his father in the courtroom.
As a part of his probation, Templin will be expected to participate in mental health and substance abuse treatment. He’ll also need to establish care with a mental health provider and take any medication prescribed to him, and he cannot purchase or consume alcohol or any controlled substances.
Many of those things he’s already begun doing. He’s enrolled in a weekly substance abuse class with the Coeur d’Alene Tribe, called Wellbriety, which is similar to the 12-step program. He’s also receiving one-on-one counseling with a clinical psychologist.
French called his treatment the “gold standard” and said he’s on an “upward trajectory” to set himself up for success in the community.
“I’m doing good,” Templin said in court. He told the Statesman after his sentencing that he was grateful to be on probation and thanked Yee-Wallace for giving him the opportunity.
