prison

A newly approved prison education program is helping inmates in Orofino, Pocatello and Boise prepare gain confidence and prepare for life after they’ve served time

(Runtime 1:04)While people who are incarcerated in jails can vote in Washington, many say it’s not that easy. Now, two bills in the state Legislature aim…

By: Jeanie Lindsay, Northwest News NetworkPrison reforms were among the many issues considered by lawmakers in Olympia this year. But, once again,…

By: Jeanie Lindsay, Northwest News NetworkKeeping people in Washington’s prisons has gotten more expensive in recent years. The state is one of several…

(Runtime 4:14)By Jeanie Lindsay / Northwest News NetworkThe final Friday of September was an emotional day at Larch Corrections Center.The…

When Travis ComesLast was 20 years old, he was on the run from juvenile detention. He and a friend were looking for ways to get some cash so they could skip town. But during what he describes as a drug deal gone bad, ComesLast shot and killed a man.

Oregon voters passed a measure that strips language from the state’s constitution allowing for slavery and involuntary servitude when used as a punishment for a crime. Notwithstanding more than 500,000 people voting to keep the language, unofficial returns Tuesday night indicated that the measure was passing by a clear margin.

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.

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.

Gov. Jay Inslee on Wednesday signed a bill automatically restoring voting rights to people who have been released from prison after committing felonies, even if they are still on parole — a measure sponsored by a lawmaker who was herself formerly incarcerated.