Idaho sends 120 incarcerated men to private prison — with more transfers imminent
The Idaho Department of Correction is transferring hundreds of incarcerated people to a private prison out of state to address overcrowding at Idaho prisons, according to a department news release.
The agency, which operates 10 prisons around the state, has contracted with out-of-state prisons to address overpopulation issues for several years.
IDOC officials said in the news release that 120 men have already been transferred to Central Arizona Florence Correctional Complex, and another 200 men will be transferred there soon. The Florence, Arizona, prison is owned and operated by CoreCivic, a Nashville-based for-profit prison company that also operates detention centers for Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE.
“These out-of-state transfers are not a long-term solution, but they are a necessary step to responsibly manage our population and strengthen partnerships with county jails,” said Bree Derrick, director of the Idaho Department of Correction, in the agency’s news release.
IDOC is also working with Jefferson, Bonneville and Adams counties to house an additional 194 people in state custody, officials said. The agency also sends incarcerated men to CoreCivic’s Saguaro Correctional Center in Eloy, Arizona, and previously contracted with Eagle Pass Detention Facility in southwest Texas. The Texas prison is operated by the GEO Group, another private prison contracting company.
A June 2025 population report from IDOC showed the state’s prison population was just under 10,000 people while the department’s capacity is around 8,200 beds. IDOC spokesperson Sanda Kuzeta-Cerimagic told the Idaho Statesman there are 698 incarcerated people housed outside of Idaho — the 120 recently sent to the Florence prison and 578 at Saguaro.
Kuzeta-Cerimagic said the recent transfer is the first time IDOC has transferred anyone to the Florence facility.
An IDOC population report showed the agency plans to add several hundred beds by the end of 2027.
According to the IDOC news release, the men transferred out of state are “carefully screened, including for medical needs ,and are chosen based on institutional needs, sentence length, security classification and available bed space.” The agency said the men are “ideally” transferred early in their sentences and returned to Idaho well before their release dates.
This story was originally published March 26, 2026 at 4:47 PM.
