42 inmates move to new Tribal Justice Center
By Tammy Harmer
May 24, 2010

FORT HALL - From mid-April to mid-May, eight inmates escaped from the Old Fort Hall jail. After the most recent escapes, tribal corrections chief Greg Sage was dismissed on May 11. Paul Guisande was then announced the new Chief. Officials say the old jail was too small to house the number of inmates necessary, and was impossible to fully secure.

The new Shoshone-Bannock Justice Center has been ready since February, but the inmates couldn't be moved until the tribe got approval from the Bureau of Indian Affairs. From the old fort hall jail to the new tribal justice center, 42 inmates were transferred, we are told everything went smoothly and they were all very compliant.

Chief of Corrections Paul Guisande said, "We noted such a change in their demeanor, such a change from the old to the new." The transfer took place on Friday, and the new building came with new booking equipment. Guisande said, "Once the staff got familiar with the system,it picked up quite rapidly. We were pleased it got completed in good time and without incident."

The new building houses 80 adult inmates, 20 juvenile inmates, each with its own living quarters and courtyards. The building also contains three courtrooms and the police station. "It's a tremendous excitement for us as well as the tribe, and is been a long time coming, a lot of planning from local folks, so it is just an awesome development." No decision has been made yet on what to do with the old jail building.