Prisons

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.

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.

Washington recently closed a prison to save money, but officials say rising prices for essentials and facility maintenance are contributing to the ballooning price of incarceration.

Washington's Department of Corrections has unveiled its strategies to reduce the use of isolation in its prisons, but it all relies on whether lawmakers set aside funding to support those changes.

More than three dozen Pierce County Jail inmates allege long-known plumbing issues are creating unhealthy living conditions and sickening people awaiting trial.

Inmates at the Pierce County jail say persistent raw sewage backflow and putrid smells are causing illnesses and infections.

A recent change to prison sentencing in Washington would cut down the amount of time behind bars for convicted adults with juvenile criminal records. But the new law leaves out hundreds of people already in prison.

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.

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.

A large disturbance Wednesday evening at the Monroe Correctional Complex was likely triggered by rising tensions over COVID-19, according to the…