Department of Corrections

Patrick Lester Clay escaped from Monroe Corrections Center early Friday, April 26, 2024.

WA prisoner escapes minimum security facility north of Seattle

Jeanie Lindsay

Washington prison officials said Monday they are still searching for a man who escaped a minimum security prison facility in Monroe just before the weekend.

Social Justice

Corrections fined for violating tuberculosis outbreak rules

The Associated Press

The Washington state Department of Corrections was fined more than $84,000 for reportedly failing to follow safety rules meant to stop the spread of disease at its Aberdeen prison. The state Department of Labor and Industries said Friday it was citing and fining the agency after L&I inspectors responded to complaints related to an April tuberculosis outbreak at Stafford Creek Corrections Center.

A brick wall as a sign embedded in it. The pale green letters read Larch Corrections Center. There is a small map of Washington on it.

COVID-19

COVID-19 outbreak grows at prison in southwest Washington

The Associated Press

Cases of COVID-19 at a minimum-security prison in southwest Washington are climbing. A Washington Department of Corrections bulletin reported the number of active COVID cases jumped to 41 among incarcerated individuals at Larch Corrections Center, a nearly 193% increase since Friday.

Inmates walk past correctional officers at the Washington Corrections Center in Shelton, Wash., in 2011. Gov. Jay Inslee said Tuesday that more than 3,000 prisoners in Washington have been mistakenly released early since 2002 because of an error by the state's Department of Corrections.

Social Justice

Limit on toilet flushes adds to inmates' concerns about health, safety

Lilly Ana Fowler

A few months ago, a variety of nonprofits sent a letter to the superintendent of Clallam Bay Corrections Center. Amidst the COVID pandemic, they were writing to complain about an unusual issue: toilet flushing.

The state Capitol building in Olympia is shrouded in fog.

Politics

Listen: Vaccine deadline has passed. What's the impact on state government?

Kirsten Kendrick

The state's COVID-19 vaccine mandate deadline has passed, and the fallout has begun. Olympia correspondent Austin Jenkins joined Morning Edition host Kirsten Kendrick to explain what's happening.

A barren room used for recreation by inmates in solitary confinement at the Washington Corrections Center in Shelton.

Local News

WA Department of Corrections ends solitary confinement as punishment

The Associated Press

Washington state correctional facilities will no longer place people in custody in solitary confinement as a punishment — after state officials determined it is not effective.

Staff members head past razor wire-topped fences and into a building hosting a University Behind Bars program at the Monroe Correctional Complex in Monroe in January 2016.

News

Washington state prisons to allow visitors again

Lilly Ana Fowler

In another sign that life is slowly inching its way back to normal, the Washington state Department of Corrections has announced the public will once…

News

Families of vulnerable inmates, concerned about COVID-19, call for prison reforms

Bellamy Pailthorp

More than 400 people who are incarcerated in Washington prisons have tested positive for COVID-19. Two have died. With crowded conditions, family and…

In this 2014 photo, a correctional officer directs an offender through a gate at the Washington Corrections Center For Women in Gig Harbor, Washington.

Environment

Access to nature in prisons can improve outcomes, research shows

Bellamy Pailthorp

The healing power of nature is well established. People who garden, take frequent hikes or regularly play with a dog or cat experience the benefits…

Education

Camp Becomes Safe Place For Children With Parent Behind Bars

Ariel Van Cleave

Growing up and finding ways to fit in can be hard for any kid, but it gets tougher when your mom or dad, sometimes both, are behind bars. Children who…