Prison reform

These delays costed state taxpayers millions of dollars and placed obstacles in the path of people trying to establish new lives after serving their sentences.

Prison reform has been a priority for progressive Democrats. However, despite a Democratic majority in the Legislature, some of this year’s reform proposals didn’t become law.

Washington state's three-strikes law was enacted 29 years ago because people thought it would reduce crime during a wave of it in the ‘80s and ‘90s. But these tough-on-crime laws have not only led to high rates of incarceration but also have disproportionately impacted Black, Indigenous and other people of color. Now state leaders are looking to amend these laws.

Editor's note: An earlier version of this story misstated the crimes Ms. Rosario was in prison for. Across the country, there’s a push to make it easier…