Johnny Valenciano has been incarcerated since he was 18 years old. Now 32, he spent the better part of that time in the state’s highest security prison: the Idaho Maximum Security Institution. For six of those years, he lived in a cell by himself in solitary confinement. Valenciano told the Idaho Statesman things shifted for him when the COVID-19 pandemic hit. He was locked down in his cell and given 15 minutes reprieves every 36 hours which he used to quickly shower and call family. “That was a breaking point for me,” he said in an in-person interview. “I just didn’t want to live that way no more.” Read more…
“It gives me a sense of freedom,” said Johnny Valenciano, who is incarcerated at IDOC’s East Dorm. “I can call this a room rather than a cell.” Upon review, Valenciano was granted a transfer from his previous incarceration in maximum security, to the light security East Dorm within South Idaho Correctional Institution. He helps with an Idaho Humane Society program restoring dogs like Theo back to health while serving time. Darin Oswald doswald@idahostatesman.com