What is life like for Lori Vallow Daybell now that she’s in the Pocatello Women’s Correctional Center?

POCATELLO — Lori Vallow Daybell spent her first night in a cell at the Pocatello Women’s Correctional Center (PWCC) on Tuesday, but she could be moved to another part of the prison in the coming weeks.

The facility sits on top of a hill overlooking Pocatello and holds around 355 women, who are referred to as residents rather than inmates. It’s the largest women’s prison in the state, with the population consisting of everyone from low-risk offenders to Robin Row, the one woman in Idaho on death row.

Idaho Department of Correction policy prohibits employees from discussing specific residents, but PWCC Warden Janell Clement spoke with EastIdahoNews.com Wednesday about the intake process for those sentenced to prison.

“They come on a bus from a county jail and go through our receiving area in intake. They are given clothing items, and they’ll be met by a case manager and have a nursing assessment,” Clement says. “From there, they will be moved down to a housing unit. Over the next 14 days to four weeks, they’ll be given different assessments through dental, medical, mental health and case management needs to assess what they may need during their stay.”

Residents can attend high school and college courses while incarcerated. Employment opportunities are available, including cleaning the building, sewing clothes, working in the kitchen and doing other jobs.

Although Daybell is now the most well-known resident at PWCC, Clement says she’s just like everyone else.

“Everyone’s treated fairly and respectfully, and their confidentiality is maintained. They’re going to go through that same process as anyone else,” she says.

Daybell was sentenced to serve a fixed life sentence at PWCC but officials in Maricopa County, Arizona, say they plan to extradite on two conspiracy to commit murder charges. That could happen anytime within the next few months.

Clement says there are a lot of stigmas associated with prison, and the public rarely hears positive aspects of the system. It can be a place that rehabilitates residents and helps them lead a more productive life.

“We’re working really hard to help people return back to society – to be a better member of society, a better neighbor, a better friend,” she says. “They’re moms, they’re daughters, they’re sisters. We’re working to help change people’s lives and impact them so they can return back to their families and communities.”