Washington State Celebrates Low Incarceration Rate After Closing a Prison and Amid Rising Crime
The Washington State Department of Corrections (DOC) celebrated having “one of the lowest incarceration rates in the nation,” after closing a state prison despite rising crime rates.
In a press release, the DOC announced the closure of Larch Corrections Center in Clark County, a facility that had a maximum capacity of 240 inmates and employed 115 staff members, who will be offered jobs at other locations. Several units at the Monroe Correctional Center were closed in 2021, according to the DOC’s statement; however, this is the first full closure of a jail in the state since 2011.
“We already have one of the lowest rates of incarceration in the nation,” the release remarked, siting a progressive activist organization, The Sentencing Project’s statistics detailing the number of incarcerated people per 100,000 residents by state.
The state’s low incarceration is not evidence of a similarly low crime rate. In fact, certain crimes in the state are occurring with record-setting frequency, reaching an all-time high. According to a report by the Washington Association of Sheriffs and Police Chiefs (WASPC), Washington state saw record-high homicide numbers in 2022, as well as an increased number of violent crimes, robberies, and car theft. The number of murders in the state rose 17 percent from 2021 to 2022, and 96 percent from 2019.
The “defund the police” movement, which swept the nation following the 2020 Black Lives Matter riots and cleaned out departments in liberal cities, left police shorthanded, underfunded, and without support from local elected authorities. This made departments in cities such as Portland and Seattle ill-equipped to deal with rising crime.
Additionally, a commitment to progressive sentencing policies reduced the legal severity of several crimes and allowed career criminals to evade jail time frequently. “The Washington Supreme Court ruled in the 2021 Blake Decision that simple possession of a controlled substance is no longer a felony,” the DOC’s press release explains.
The maximum penalty for a misdemeanor, like shoplifting or possession of a controlled substance, in Washington, would be 90 days in jail and up to a $1,000 fine. Gross misdemeanors, such as driving while under the influence, carry a maximum punishment of up to one year in jail and a $5,000 fine. Washington also recently took the death penalty off the table entirely, even for the most heinous of crimes. Needless to say, the state largely lends itself to “soft-on-crime” policies.
In the press release, the DOC also announced that it will be “committing to reduce the use of solitary confinement in its prisons by 90% over the next five years,“ citing the harmful, long-term effects of extended solitary confinement.
“As Washington state transitions to a more humane corrections system, the services incarcerated individuals need access to, like improved health care services, mental health support, opportunities for education, and other programming more readily available at minimum-security living units attached to major facilities,” the press release concludes.
