Report supports changes in parole system

OLYMPIA – Gov. Chris Gregoire says a report released Thursday suggests the state Department of Corrections needs more accountability and must take steps to increase control of offenders on parole.

The report, written by the Corrections Department and reviewed by a national corrections organization, was written after three released convicts were implicated in the deaths of three Seattle-area law enforcement officers in recent months.

“We need to commit, as a state, that we will work together to prevent these tragedies in the future,” Gregoire said in a statement. “We cannot tolerate this kind of loss of life.”

Corrections chief Harold Clarke would not go into much detail on the three cases at a news conference, but said the report has highlighted inefficiencies in the department.

“We have learned much through this review process,” Clarke said.

The external review by the National Institute of Corrections said the system’s sentencing statutes are too complex and often conflicting, there’s a lack of treatment resources for violators and each offender’s supervision plan should be more specific to that person’s risk and needs.

Scott Taylor, an institute member who conducted the review and community corrections chief in Oregon, said the problems Washington faces with capacity are not unusual. But he said he thinks change can occur.

“As I wandered through the state and talked to people, I found that the officers are ready to take the challenge of refining what they do,” Taylor said.

The report said there are more than 17,000 inmates in the state’s prisons. There are another 27,000 offenders who have been released, with 748 community correction officers to monitor them.

Clarke said the department has learned that it needs to respond more quickly to violations of release terms, that most of the violations involve alcohol or other drug use and that there is insufficient capacity in treatment centers.

Gregoire is requesting $25 million for various prison reforms, including many contained in a bill already passed by the state Senate. That measure, under consideration by the House, is based on recommendations of a task force headed by Sen. Mike Carrell, R-Lakewood, and Sen. Debbie Regala, D-Tacoma.