Pubdate: Tue, 22 May 2007
Source: Seattle Times (WA)
Copyright: 2007 The Seattle Times Company
Contact:  http://www.seattletimes.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/409
Author: Jennifer Sullivan and Christopher Schwarzen

SHORTAGE OF CORRECTIONS OFFICERS ENDS JAIL-SPACE DEAL

A plan to reopen a corrections facility near Arlington to free up 
space for state parole violators in the Snohomish County Jail was 
dropped Monday after officials could hire only one of the 35 officers 
needed to staff the new facility.

The decision comes three months after the Department of Corrections 
(DOC) faced severe criticism from state lawmakers and Gov. Christine 
Gregoire for releasing parole violators from county jails because of 
overcrowding. In February, the DOC released more than 80 inmates from 
two King County jails and the Snohomish County Jail because the 
agency had exceeded its allotted capacity at the facilities.

In response, Gregoire scolded the agency and forbade them from 
releasing parole violators because of overcrowding.

Gary Larson, a DOC spokesman, said top DOC administrators will meet 
this week to consider other parole violator housing options.

Under an agreement between Snohomish County and the DOC, "The Ridge" 
- -- formerly known as Indian Ridge Corrections Center -- was going to 
reopen this summer and house nearly 180 minimum-security inmates from 
the county jail in Everett. This would free up space for DOC 
community corrections, or parole, violators at the county jail.

The Ridge closed in 2005 when Snohomish County opened a new jail.

But on Monday, Snohomish County officials announced that the facility 
won't reopen because they couldn't find enough people to staff it.

"The state Department of Corrections gave us about 250 names [from a 
job bank]," Snohomish County Corrections Director Steve Thompson 
said. "We were able to hire only one."

The county needed about 35 officers to run The Ridge. Thompson said 
nearly 60 names provided by DOC didn't have contact information. The 
remainder were personally contacted either by telephone or e-mail and 
invited to a job fair to begin the application process.

He said only a handful of potential corrections officers showed up.

By not reopening the jail, Snohomish County will lose out on about $1 
million in potential revenues from a contract with the state. Larson 
said the entire state is struggling to fill law-enforcement jobs.

Law-enforcement agencies cite a strong economy filled with 
high-paying jobs and potential candidates fighting the war in Iraq as 
reasons they are struggling to find new officers.

Larson said losing The Ridge has created a large problem for DOC's 
strategy for housing inmates.

"We were looking at this as a longer-term potential solution to the 
problem of finding adequate space for community custody violators," 
Larson said.

Since February, the agency has been freeing up space in prisons for 
such inmates. About 27,200 people are on community corrections 
release in the state. Offenders who violate the terms of their prison 
release can face punishment varying from increased reporting and 
mandatory drug treatment to 60 days in jail.

Hundreds of inmates sentenced to long-term prison time have been 
shipped to out-of-state facilities to make room. The DOC is 
contracting with the Yakima County Jail and is looking to increase 
its allotted bed space there for parole violators.
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MAP posted-by: Beth Wehrman