Federal Judge Sanctions Idaho Over Prison Health Care Case

BOISE, Idaho (AP) — A federal judge has sanctioned Idaho for misleading the court about medical and mental health care for inmates. The ruling from U.S. District Judge David Carter means that the Idaho Department of Correction will remain under the court's supervision until at least the fall of 2017.

The health care legal battle between inmates at the Idaho State Correctional Institution and the state has been going on for more than three decades. Earlier this year, prison officials were hopeful that the lawsuit would officially come to an end within the next several months.

But then new allegations arose that prison officials had misled a court-appointed examiner to make the health care seem better than it was. IDOC Director Kevin Kempf said he is disappointed by the ruling, and said the department will do everything in its power to resolve the lawsuit.