Parallel Workshops
This session will discuss the partnership between the Idaho Department of Corrections and the Vera Institute of Justice when implementing an innovative young adult housing initiative designed to improve safety, wellbeing, and institutional culture through collaborative reform.
Since opening in April 2025, the specialized housing unit serves young adults ages 18–25 and is grounded in five core principles: restorative practices, cultural healing, equity, family engagement, and community building. Developed collaboratively by corrections staff, incarcerated mentors, and Vera staff, the unit reimagines traditional prison housing as a supportive community environment. Older incarcerated mentors, many of whom entered prison as young adults themselves, work alongside specially trained staff to facilitate daily community-building activities, conflict resolution, and personal growth.
Central to the initiative’s success is the partnership between IDOC and Vera, which emphasizes shared decision-making, staff training, continuous communication, and participatory research. Corrections officers and mentors jointly shaped unit policies, including approaches to discipline and visitation, while ongoing training and cross-state peer learning support implementation. Researchers collect and share data in real time, creating a continuous feedback loop that informs practice in real time.
Early findings suggest the initiative has improved conditions for both incarcerated people and staff, with staff reporting increased job satisfaction and reduced stress. Presenters will describe the evolution of the partnership, the transformation and impact of the housing unit, and the opportunities and challenges of scaling collaborative reform efforts amid growing prison populations.
Dr. Bree Derrick was appointed as director of the Idaho Department of Correction in 2025. As the director, Bree oversees a system comprised of about 2,300 employees, ten prisons, five community reentry centers, and seven district probation and parole offices, with an annual budget of approximately $400M dollars. Bree served as the IDOC deputy director from 2019 until she was appointed director in 2025. During that time, Bree oversaw the division of probation and parole, prisons, and management services and she played an instrumental role in the department’s rise as a national model for correctional systems.
Before joining IDOC, Bree worked at the Justice Center, assisted state correctional agencies in planning and implementing large-scale efforts to instill correctional best practices. Bree began her career with the Rhode Island Department of Behavioral Health, Developmental Disabilities and Hospitals, later working at a private psychiatric hospital and the Rhode Island Department of Corrections. During her 10 years with RIDOC, she held roles as a researcher and mental health clinician.
Along with a Ph.D., director Derrick is a licensed mental health counselor with a master’s degree in counseling and a certificate of advanced graduate study in mental health counseling. Bree currently serves as the Program and Training Committee Chair for the Correctional Leaders’ Association and is a board member for the Association of Women Executives in Corrections.
Ryan Shanahan is the Global Justice Exchange Director at the Vera Institute of Justice, where she leads US prison and government officials on tours of German prisons. Ryan previously served as the director of Vera's Restoring Promise initiative, starting the Institute's work on transforming prison conditions with a focus on young adults. Ryan transitioned to Vera in 2009 from a Vera spin-off, Family Justice. Their work at Family Justice to help incarcerated people stay connected to their families and communities became one of the four core values of Restoring Promise.
Ryan’s family’s experience with the legal system motivated them to start in this field. Ryan’s commitment to the work is a reflection of their father, Kevin, who instilled in them from a young age a commitment to justice and generosity. Ryan holds a BA from the University of Connecticut and a PhD in women’s studies from the University of Maryland.
