Report Finds Parole Officers Overworked Murders Tied To Three Offenders Prompted Investigation

Sparked by an investigation of one parole officer’s job performance, a report released Wednesday concluded the Department of Corrections should lighten officers’ workloads and find ways to learn more about the offenders they supervise.

The report, prepared by four outside consultants hired by the agency, was prompted by allegations that veteran parole officer Barbara Nelson failed to supervise offenders who later were tied to three murder cases.

The department asked the consultants to review Nelson’s situation and the agency’s policies and practices regarding the supervision of high-risk offenders when they get out of prison.

An internal investigation of Nelson’s handling of the three cases continues. The state settled lawsuits over two of the cases for about $6.4 million.

The consultants’ report, released by the Corrections Department a day after Nelson lashed out at the agency, found that she has consistently turned in an acceptable or better job performance for most of her 21-year career.

The notable exception occurred in 1993 when she was disciplined twice. The consultants said Nelson could have been fired for one of those incidents, in which she took $500 out of a developmentally disabled offender’s bank account and later returned it. They said the agency handled the situation poorly by mildly punishing her supervisor, who was aware of the incident.

Still, the consultants noted that Nelson clearly “bounced back” in recent years and was doing more than was expected of her.

It’s unclear why the consultants focused their review on a disciplinary action that happened five years ago and did not discuss her supervision of three offenders later tied to high-profile killings.

Nelson, who was placed on paid leave Dec. 4, was notified earlier this month that she faces termination, which she expects by next week. On Tuesday, she accused the Corrections Department of dredging up old information so it can use her as a scapegoat for broader problems within the agency.

Tim Welch, spokesman for the Washington Federation of State Employees union that’s helping Nelson challenge her expected firing, said the consultants’ report failed to turn up any evidence that would prompt her dismissal.

“If the DOC is using this as the smoking gun to fire Barbara Nelson, their gun is all wet. There’s no powder there,” Welch said.

He agreed with the report’s broader conclusions that parole officers need to be freed from such time-consuming tasks as keyboard entry of offender data so they can spend more time on the streets monitoring their cases.

The consultants also recommended that the agency evaluate the quality and quantity of supervision of parole officers, improve filing methods so officers can track whether offenders are complying with conditions of their release and find ways to access criminal justice databases so officers have more information about the offenders they’re supervising.