OROFINO - The Idaho Department of Correction is trying to free up 12-percent of their budget, at the request of Governor Otter.

Department Director Brent Reinke said that could mean privatizing the prison in Orofino. But at the Idaho Correctional Institution, privatization isn't a popular subject for many.

Terema Carlin, the new warden at the ICI said the process is still in its infancy.

"The state would maintain ownership of the building," said Carlin. "A private company will come in and manage the staffing, they would manage the maintenance, they would manage the offenders. Every person in here would be an employee of that private company."

Carlin said privatization, among other things could reduce daily per-inmate cost, which she says are at $58 today. If it's, say, $5 less, they'd find about a million dollars in savings. But Carlin said the state does not want to cut some of the prison's successful programs.

"They would like to see those continue," said Carlin. "We also have a project center, and my understanding is that would be included as far what they need to continue facilitating and managing"

Saving money sounds good to the governor and taxpayers, but people who work or reside at ICIO are not finding the idea very appealing.

"I just started my 17th year," said Food Service Manager Quinn Davidson. "My wife and I are both in our 50s. The problem with that is you have a number of folks in this area, in Clearwater County, that work here, that are in the same boat We're close to retirement, but we're not at retirement age. If we privatize, what's going to happen in the next two-plus years, we're going to be pretty much displaced workers."

Behind the barbed-wire, inmates are worried. Inmate John Smith said from his experience, a privately-owned prison is a dirtier, more violent prison.

"There's no humanity, as far as the treatment goes at a private facility," said Smith. "You're just a piece of meat, and you do what they tell you to do, and you try to stay out of trouble."

The Department of Correction will explore if anyone would even be interested in taking over operation of the prison, which will mean an anxious few months for employees and inmates.

"I believe that they're saying it's six to eight months before that process would be completed, so probably 12 to 18 months before we would have any drastic changes, if that is to even occur," said Carlin.

"All of us want this place to stay like it is, and hopefully the state can make it happen," said Smith.

The only privately run prison in Idaho is the Idaho Correctional Center in Kuna, operated by Corrections Corporation of America. The prison operations have come under criticism by some for increased incidents of violence, compared to other correctional facilities in the state.