SOUTH BOISE, Idaho — A former correctional officer has filed a federal lawsuit against the Idaho Department of Correction (IDOC), alleging he was wrongfully terminated for blowing the whistle on what he describes as systemic misconduct inside state prison walls.
Scotty Amos, who worked at the Idaho State Correctional Center (ISCC) south of Boise from 2023 to 2024, claims he was fired after internal complaints were ignored and he turned to the media, including Idaho News 6. Our Riley Shoemaker is named in the lawsuit, as we previously reported on Amos’ concerns about the mishandling of inmate mail and medical request forms.
WATCH: See how a former IDOC officer’s whistleblowing led to a federal lawsuit
WATCH: Claims of mishandling of inmate mail arise at Idaho State Correctional Center
The lawsuit, filed this week in U.S. District Court, accuses IDOC leaders and staff of violating Amos’ First Amendment rights and punishing him for raising concerns. Amos alleges that inmates’ health service requests, grievance forms, and personal mail were frequently discarded in shredding bins or trash cans, and that other staff members either ignored or enabled the behavior.
In an exclusive interview with Idaho News 6, Amos’ attorney Dan Kalish said, “A lot of those weren't going to where they should be going. Once there was a person who was actually left out in the cold and who was shivering. So he noticed all of these things… That didn't go anywhere. So although it wasn't in his job duties to report this, he ended up going to you, Miss Shoemaker [...] and he ended up getting fired basically as a result of that.”
Kalish said Amos followed the chain of command and reported the issues internally, but nothing changed.
“He literally found them in recycling and shredding bins… He went up the chain. He did everything he could, and no one was listening to him,” Kalish said.
The lawsuit also describes a December 2023 incident in which an inmate was allegedly left outside in freezing temperatures. Amos claims he found the man “shivering and turning blue,” and brought him inside. When he reported the incident, Amos claims he was accused of lying and later reprimanded.
After what he describes as continued inaction by leadership, Amos says he reached out to journalists, including myself, and soon after, was terminated without notice. The complaint argues that this amounted to retaliation.
“We think he had a legal right to go to the press to discuss some of the corruption that he was seeing, and he got fired as a result,” Kalish said.
The lawsuit is the latest development in an ongoing investigation by Idaho News 6 into operations at IDOC.
RELATED: New documents reveal alleged ongoing negligence at IDOC as former inmate speaks out
Earlier this year, I also reported on a separate case involving a correctional officer who was charged for allegedly having a sexual relationship with an inmate, another incident raising questions about oversight and staff conduct.
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In recent months, I have received dozens of letters from IDOC inmates, many of which echo the same concerns raised in the lawsuit, including claims of mail tampering, ignored medical requests, and retaliation against those who speak up.
IDOC has not yet responded to requests for comment.
