| HeraldNet - Snohomish County's online news source |
 WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 2010 1:23 am |
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Local News 
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Monroe prison dodges closure At least for now, the reformatory isn't a target as the state seeks to cut 1,580 prison beds. OLYMPIA — The Washington State Reformatory in Monroe dodged a bullet Wednesday when a much-anticipated study did not recommend closing the nearly 100-year-old facility to save money.Instead, it suggests about 100 inmates could be moved into the Monroe Correctional Complex from a Yakima facility targeted for closure in the report. “I'm happy because shutting the reformatory down would have had a significant economic impact on the community,” said Rep. Kirk Pearson, R-Monroe. His legislative colleagues from Pierce, Clark and Walla Walla counties may feel less exuberant because of recommended prison closures in their areas. Two options sketched out in the 37-page draft report would let legislators reach their goal of eliminating 1,580 prison beds and paring $12 million in Department of Corrections costs by mid-2011. Lawmakers counted on those savings in enacting the current state budget. One proposal involves closing the main institution of the Washington State Penitentiary in Walla Walla, closing half the Larch Corrections Center in Clark County for two years and permanently closing Ahtanum View Corrections Center in Yakima. All together, 1,653 prison beds could be eliminated. The other option, which would ax 1,618 beds, centers on shrinking the size of the McNeil Island Corrections Center and boarding up Larch and Ahtanum View facilities. Both scenarios call for moving the 100 elderly and infirm inmates at Ahtanum View into minimum security housing at the Monroe complex. State corrections officials' reaction to the plan was limited Wednesday because it is not the final version. “The recommendations are still being analyzed and could conceivably be changed,” said Belinda Steward, the department's communications and outreach director. Consultants seriously considered the value of closing the 740-bed medium-security reformatory in Monroe. Built in 1910, consultants cited the higher cost of operating the reformatory compared to other prison facilities. According to the state Office of Financial Management, it costs $122.34 per day to house an offender there, compared with $107.65 at McNeil Island. While the reformatory escaped harm in the draft, its fate could differ in the final report that will be sent Nov. 1 to Gov. Chris Gregoire and the Legislature. Public comments on the recommendations will be collected through next Wednesday, the consultant will calculate more accurately the costs of closing facilities, moving prisoners and relocating and laying off prison staff. When all of the data is in then “the consultant could look again at the recommendations,” said Kate Lykins Brown, deputy communications director for the state Office of Financial Management. That agency will consider the study in preparing Gregoire's supplemental budget for 2010. The Legislature can ignore the findings and blaze a trail of its own, a prospect already worrying Pearson. “I think it looks good, but I can imagine that some legislators from Pierce County are going to protect their turf, and the same (goes) for those from Yakima and Walla Walla,” Pearson said. “If we get into such a situation I would trust my fellow legislators from Snohomish County would stand up for the correctional complex in Monroe,” he said. The draft report issued Wednesday also examines potential closures of facilities for juvenile offenders. The document can be read and comments made to the Office of Financial Management at www.ofm.wa.gov. Jerry Cornfield: 360-352-8623; jcornfield@heraldnet.com. |
- Sorry, Hawkeye; M*A*S*H gets bowled over
- Former Whidbey student shot
- County archive software paid for but waiting for set-up
- Ruling expected on Sultan beating statement
- ‘Roadkill’ caucus seeks a voice for centrist Democrats
- Police seek witnesses in two accidents
- PAWS calls out for critter care-givers
- Boeing has a busy test schedule
- Ex-Boeing engineer jailed for espionage
- Morning mystery: What happened to House Bill 3181?
- Lynnwood sets height limit on grass: 8 inches
(10) - State Senate votes to toss I-960's tax-raising hurdle (9)
- School levies in Snohomish County all passing, Marysville bond failing (6)
- A tidy lawn could be law in Lynnwood (4)
- Vote on school levies by Tuesday (3)
- Two suspects sought in Everett shooting that injured two (3)
- County archive software paid for but waiting for set-up (3)
- Snohomish County's bargain housing won't last (2)
- Reader poll: Should the WIAA add lacrosse as a sanctioned sport? (2)
- Two suspects sought in Everett shooting that injured two (2)
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COMMENTS
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Until relatively recently, Washington was sending inmates to prisons in Arizona and Minnesota to relieve overcrowding in its own facilities. Now, the public is told that there is an excess of prison beds and in-state prisons need to close in order to save money.
Well which is it, are there too few or too many prison beds? Government statistics, both federal and state, have consistently shown an increase in the current and projected prison population, without any change anticipated. Were the statistics wrong? Check out those stats at the National Criminal Justice Reference Service (NCJRS.gov).
A little extra research will reveal that Washington State Government is releasing early, prisoners that it formerly planned to hold for some time to come. The same research will show that former felons who had been scheduled for community supervision for months and years to come, are having that supervision terminated early. All in order to compensate for the poor financial management of state legislators and bureaucrats.
Those felons are being released upon the public. Is this intelligent? Is it safe? Are your doors and windows locked?
Veritas Splendor | Oct 15, 2009 11:03 pm | 0 replies | Request removal
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