Spokane prison gives inmates a voice

Associated Press

AIRWAY HEIGHTS — When inmates at the Airway Heights Corrections Center asked for premium cable television, more telephone time and an outdoor handball court, the answer was "no."

But many inmates felt like winners anyway.

That’s because of a government system within the prison in which 12 staff members and seven inmates meet each month to address issues.

The inmates are known as tier representatives, and each represents between 200 and 250 inmates. The system is credited with reducing violence in the 10-year-old prison.

Allowing the 2,112 inmates to elect leaders to represent them before administrators is part of a new prison philosophy known as "direct supervision."

"This would be a lot more volatile place to work without this system," said James Key, a program manager at Airway Heights.

"This place has changed my way of thinking," said inmate James Roberts, 31, a tier representative who is in the last four years of a sentence for second-degree murder.

"I’m learning to communicate, and they’ve got an open-door policy here which allows us to do that," Roberts said. "Doing this also gives us a better understanding how this place works."

Airway Heights corrections unit supervisor Rich Hewson likes the system.

"If you can’t rely on communication, then you have to rely on more authority," he said.

Airway Heights is the third-largest prison in the state, but has a low number of reported aggravated assaults.

In 2001, there were 14 reports of aggravated assaults at Airway Heights, the state Department of Corrections said. The state Corrections Center in Shelton, with roughly 400 fewer inmates, had nearly double that number of assaults.

Direct supervision was created by the Federal Bureau of Prisons in the early 1970s for use in short-term jails.

Direct supervision prisons depend less on electronic surveillance, motor-driven locks and barred windows. Fewer staffers are needed because officers don’t stay isolated at control booths.

At Airway Heights, officers work surrounded by inmates. They talk to them frequently. At a meeting last week, it was common for the 12 staff members and seven inmate representatives to refer to one another as "mister."

Key said the public should not be left with the impression that Airway Heights is soft.

"Trust me, the pendulum can go the other way if it has to," Key said. "It all depends on their behavior."

Though most requests are denied, prison officials at least give inmates specific reasons.

The tier representatives say they have developed a greater sense of responsibility in their roles.

"A lot of people come to me, and I’ve got to be able to represent their concerns as best as I can," said inmate Jaimie Veach.

Veach, 38, convicted of being a felon in possession of a gun and delivering methamphetamine, said he’s been elected to be a tier representative since 2000.

Richard Marks, 46, who was convicted of possession of methamphetamine, said he’s learned to be more responsible in his two years as an inmate representative.

Roberts said he hopes the general public understands that even prison inmates deserve a certain level of rights.

"Some might say we don’t deserve what little we do have," Roberts said. "Well, the punishment here is loss of freedom. But here, we have incentive to stay positive."