Washington
Basic Facts about Prison and Washington
June 26, 2007 - 10:52pm| Number of Prisons | 15 prisons including two that hold women prisoners, and Washington sends prisoners out-of-state. |
| Number of Prisoners | 18,267 as of 3/31/07 according to DOC (947 held out of state) |
| Women Prisoners | Approx 8.9% of Washington's prisoners were women on 3/31/07, according to WDOC |
| State Population | 6,395,798 (based on 2006 estimates from the US Census) |
| DOC Budget | $1.76 billion for the annual budget cycle beginning July 1, 2007 |
| DOC website | The WDOC site is updated with statistics monthly and they have an Family and Friends Guide. |
| Newspapers | The main newspapers in the state that cover stories related to prisons and Corrections policy are the Seattle Post-Intelligencer and the Seattle Times. |
WA: Federal Government Sues WDOC
June 16, 2008 - 3:57pm The U. S. Department of Labor is suing Washington Department of Corrections for what could be millions of dollars in unpaid overtime owed to community corrections workers.
WA: Attempt to Create Prison Ombudsman Fails
March 18, 2008 - 2:29pm For the second legislative session in a row, Senator Jim Kastama from Puyallup sponsored a bill, Senate Bill 5295, that would have created the position of Ombudsman for the Washington Department of Corrections.
WA: Attorney General Wants to Keep Prisoners in the Dark
February 26, 2008 - 5:20pm Washington Attorney General Rob McKenna says he promotes open government and access to information – except when the people seeking information are incarcerated. Attorney General McKenna is requesting that the legislature pass Senate Bill 6294 and House Bill 3219 which restrict prisoners’ access to public information.
WA: Legislation introduced to increase racial profiling and incarceration rates
February 26, 2008 - 12:02pm House Bill 2712 and Senate Bill 6608, together referred to as the Gang Bill, are long pieces of legislation that would increase incarceration, increase racial profiling, create a state-wide database of people labeled gang members, and criminalize youth culture.
