Washington Department of Corrections Archives - Northwest Public Broadcasting

Unvaccinated Washington State Employees Face Their Last Day On The Job

By Austin Jenkins October 18, 2021

At a news conference on October 14, Gov. Jay Inslee said the state was following science and the law when deciding whether to accommodate employees who received medical or religious exemptions to his COVID-19 vaccine mandate.

Monday is the deadline for Washington state employees, healthcare and long-term care workers and those working in the education field to be fully vaccinated. Those who aren’t could be out of a job by day’s end. Some of the state employees who face termination got exemptions, but not a workplace accommodation so they could stay on the payroll. Read More

Alternative To Prison Will Be Allowed In Washington For Some People With Mental Illness

By Austin Jenkins May 11, 2021

Nightfall at the Monroe Correctional Complex on Wednesday, November 29, 2018. Two units at the prison are currently on "precautionary quarantine." CREDIT: Megan Farmer/KUOW

Under Washington's new Mental Health Sentencing Alternative, judges will have the option to sentence a person to community supervision and treatment in lieu of prison. Continue Reading Alternative To Prison Will Be Read More

Suicide Warning Signs Missed At Washington Prisons, Investigation Finds

By Austin Jenkins May 10, 2021

THOMAS HAWK / FLICKR - TINYURL.COM/HA5H3WP

For the second time in less than a year, Washington’s Corrections Ombuds (OCO) is warning that the state’s prison system needs to do more to prevent inmate suicides. In a 15-page investigation released Monday, the OCO found that two inmates died by suicide in 2020 after prison staff failed to recognize signs of mental distress and didn’t follow suicide prevention policies. Read More

For The First Time, A Woman Will Lead Washington’s Department Of Corrections

By Austin Jenkins April 30, 2021

Department of Social and Health Services Secretary Cheryl Strange will be Washington's first female Secretary of Corrections. She will begin her new position in mid-May. CREDIT: Washington DSHS

For the first time in its 40-year history, the Washington Department of Corrections (DOC) will be led by a woman. On Thursday, Gov. Jay Inslee named Cheryl Strange as the agency’s next secretary. Continue Reading For The First Time, A Read More

Northwest Prisoners Eligible For Stimulus Checks. But Getting Payout Behind Bars Is Complicated

By Tom Banse March 3, 2021

Photo illustration by MacGregor Campbell/OPB; Original prison image by Oregon DOC, 2014

Like many Americans, people behind bars are waiting to see if they will be getting checks from the federal government as part of the new stimulus bill -- provided it passes Congress this month as expected. The majority of incarcerated people in Washington and Oregon were likely eligible for the first two rounds of relief money. Read More

With Fire Season In Full Swing, Corrections Crews Adapt To Pandemic Safety Measures

By Courtney Flatt July 29, 2020

A member of a Washington Department of Corrections fire crew assisting on a previous controlled burn. Courtesy of Washington DOC

As wildfire season heats up, Washington fire managers are working out new ways for incarcerated people to help on the fire lines and stay safe during the coronavirus pandemic. Correctional crews have helped put out fires and work in fire camp kitchens for decades. And things are a little different this year. Read More

2nd Inmate Dies, National Guard Deployed To Help With COVID Testing At Eastern Washington Prison

By NWPB News June 25, 2020

An image from the Washington State Department of Corrections website page for Coyote Ridge, a prison in eastern Washington with a capacity for 2,468 inmates. CREDIT: Washington DOC

Coyote Ridge has the highest number of confirmed coronavirus cases of any Washington state prison. The outbreak is concentrated within the Medium Security Complex portion of the prison, which houses more than 1,800 inmates. The total prison population is typically more than 2,400. Read More

Nearly 1,000 Washington Inmates Will Be Released To Make Room For More Social Distancing

By NWPB News April 13, 2020

Gov. Jay Inslee and the Washington State Department of Corrections released their emergency plan to keep inmates safe from COVID-19 on Monday, after a back-and-forth of lawsuit responses between the state and Columbia Legal Services. Read More

Large Disturbance Erupts At Washington Prison Complex During Coronavirus Tensions

By Austin Jenkins April 9, 2020

A large disturbance Wednesday evening at the Monroe Correctional Complex was likely triggered by rising tensions over COVID-19, according to the Washington Department of Corrections. So far, six inmates at the facility have tested positive for the virus. Read More

First Washington Prison Inmate Tests Positive For COVID-19

By Austin Jenkins April 6, 2020

Columbia Legal Services has filed a lawsuit against the state of Washington seeking the early release of some inmates to reduce the risk of a coronavirus outbreak. CREDIT: Thomas Hawk / Flickr -TINYURL.COM/HA5H3WP

A prisoner at the Monroe Correctional Complex has tested positive for COVID-19, making him the first incarcerated individual in a Washington prison known to have contracted the virus. Continue Reading First Washington Prison Inmate Tests Positive For Read More

Petition Seeks Early Release Of Some Washington Prison Inmates To Reduce Coronavirus Risk

By Austin Jenkins March 26, 2020

The petition for a writ of mandamus by Columbia Legal Services, a civil legal aid law firm, asks the Washington Supreme Court to intervene on behalf of older inmates, those with underlying health conditions and those who are within 18 months of their release date. Read More

Felon Voting Rights Bill Dies On Washington Senate Floor In The Middle Of Debate

By Austin Jenkins February 19, 2020

File photo - Washington prison - Courtesy of Washington Department of Corrections

Legislation to automatically restore the voting rights of convicted felons when they are released from prison has died unexpectedly in the Washington Senate. Majority Democrats abruptly ended debate on the controversial bill Wednesday evening when they realized they lacked the 25 votes needed to pass the measure. Read More

He Died By Suicide In Solitary Confinement. Now Washington Will Pay $500K In Settlement

By Austin Jenkins November 13, 2019

In 2014, Morgan Bluehorse died by suicide in his isolation cell at the Airway Heights Corrections Center near Spokane. His family has settled its lawsuit against the state for $500,000 CREDIT: WASHINGTON DEPARTMENT OF CORRECTIONS

The state of Washington has agreed to pay $500,000 to settle a lawsuit brought by the family of a 29-year-old man who died by suicide in an isolation cell at the Airway Heights Corrections Center near Spokane in May 2014. Read More

Washington Settles Lawsuit Over 15-Hour-Per-Day Lockdown For Inmates With Mental Illness

By Austin Jenkins July 11, 2019

File photo of a tower at the Washington State Penitentiary in Walla Walla. Washington Gov. Jay Inslee has named Stephen Sinclair as the state's new secretary of Corrections. WASHINGTON STATE DEPARTMENT OF CORRECTIONS

Washington's Department of Corrections has agreed to improve conditions for inmates with mental illness at the Washington State Penitentiary in Walla Walla. Under a court-approved settlement reached last week, the agency will open a new minimum- and medium-security unit for these inmates, with the goal of reducing the amount of time they spend locked up in their cells. Read More

Booked And Buried: Northwest Jails’ Mounting Death Toll

By Northwest News Network April 2, 2019

Incomplete data tracking hides a crisis of rising death rates in overburdened Northwest jails that have been set up to fail the inmates they are tasked with keeping safe. Continue Reading Booked And Buried: Northwest Jails’ Mounting Death TollRead More

Plane That Flies Washington Governor Doubles As ‘Con Air’

By Austin Jenkins February 27, 2017

If you’ve ever seen the movie Con Air, you know that high-risk prison inmates are sometimes moved around the country on charter flights. It turns out the state of Washington has its own version of Con Air. Continue Reading Plane That Flies Washington Governor Read More