Pine Lodge for women only

Pine Lodge, a pre-release coed correctional facility in Medical Lake, is becoming an all-women’s facility to accommodate the growing number of women in the state’s correctional system.The 25-year-old facility, located 17 miles west of Spokane, originally was a men’s prison. It has been coed since 1989, making it one of two pre-release coed facilities in Washington. The other is the Tacoma Pre-Release Center.

The idea of making Pine Lodge all women has been discussed for years, said Helen Biddulph, public information officer at Pine Lodge. The transition started taking shape last summer when the men’s and women’s housing areas were switched to accommodate the larger female population.

Pine Lodge still will be categorized as a minimum-security facility, where offenders have the opportunity to participate in educational programs, chemical dependency treatment and work programs.

Currently, inmates transferred to Pine Lodge arrive no more than 24 months before being released. However, the maximum time at Pine Lodge could be extended to 48 months.

“This will allow them more time to complete more programming and get their GEDs,” said Donna Cayer, Pine Lodge superintendent.

Cayer said another reason for the change from 24 to 48 months is because Pine Lodge will be getting more women, thus more different situations. The state’s only all-women corrections center is the overcrowded Washington Corrections Center for Women in Gig Harbor. The 33-year-old-prison, formerly Purdy Treatment Center, is categorized as a maximum-to-minimum institution.

Kay Atkins, regional administrator for the Northeast region of the Washington State Department of Corrections, does not see a category change at Pine Lodge, at least for now. Pine Lodge is enclosed with a razor-wire fence, and correctional officers are not armed.

“We’re (Pine Lodge) going to be a minimum-custody facility,” Atkins said. “Who knows what’s going to happen eventually. Right now, what we have the need for and what we can provide is minimum custody. If anything happens I think it will change a long time from now.”

On April 30, there were 922 inmates at the Gig Harbor prison. The capacity is 734, said Beth Drake, research analyst at the Corrections Department’s planning and research section.

Biddulph said Pine Lodge’s capacity is 359. As of Thursday, there were 228 women and 42 men. The transition of men is not scheduled to be complete until June 30, 2004.

“The state does not have enough beds for women,” Atkins said. “We’re just out of beds.”

In June 1993, 6.2 percent, or 641, of the state’s total offender population were women. Nearly 10 years later, 8.2 percent, or 1,372 offenders, are women.

“This is a big undertaking,” said Atkins, who has been in corrections since 1987. “Women have greater health needs, for one thing.”

Cayer, supervisor at Pine Lodge for nine months, said Pine Lodge is making advances toward that problem. A male psychologist is on staff with plans to add two more mental health workers in the works.

There are 128 staff members at Pine Lodge, which includes contracted, non-state employees.

The inmates live in dorm-style quarters. In March, smoking was banned for the entire facility.

“My hope is at some point, we will be able to put residential facilities where women can live in more apartment-type settings,” Atkins said. “They’ll be able to have their kids and be able to prepare more for getting out.”