Incarceration

100 Stories

Nearly 3 years after outcry, audit finds rural Washington jail in a better place

A recent audit finds conditions are improving at the Klickitat County Jail in Goldendale, after county commissioners removed the jail from the sheriff’s oversight and created a department of corrections, as required by a legal settlement with the man’s family.
- Amy Radil
Report finds King County corrections officers used excessive force, submitted faulty investigation

A report from the King County Ombuds finds the Department of Adult and Juvenile Detention “more likely than not” used excessive force when officers punched and Tased a man during a jail booking on Nov. 10, 2024.
- Amy Radil
Washington 'sanctuary law' allows ICE agents to pick up people leaving prison. They often don't

Washington state’s so-called “sanctuary law” is in the crosshairs of elected officials. But new data from the state’s department of corrections shows, even when the state works with federal immigration enforcement, the federal government isn’t always following through.
- Gustavo Sagrero Álvarez
'They aren't forgotten.' New memorial honors Japanese Americans incarcerated at Washington State Fairgrounds
- Natalie Akane Newcomb
Youth jail should be improved, not closed, King County Council votes

It was the council’s first time taking an official position on the future of the youth jail, four years after County Executive Dow Constantine called it a “system rooted in oppression” and pledged to close the facility by 2025.
- Ann Dornfeld
A large number of Washington prisoners face delayed releases. Why?

Journalist Paul Kiefer says, "the delays can go on for months or years."
- John O'Brien
Garfield County pledges to keep jail shuttered after suicide went undetected

Family members of a man whose suicide went undiscovered in Garfield County jail for 18 hours have settled their claim, in an agreement approved by a superior court judge on Monday. Kyle Lara’s parents say the most important part of the agreement has already occurred: the closure of the jail where he died.
- Amy Radil
Oregon just re-criminalized drug possession and use. Why didn't legalization work?

Three years after Oregon residents voted to decriminalize drugs, the state is walking back that policy.
- Alec Cowan
Virtual reality offers a chilling 3D look inside Venezuela's spiraling prison

A former Venezuelan political prisoner got the idea to create a virtual reality tour from the Anne Frank museum.
- John Otis
'Exploitative' labor practices in Washington state prisons highlighted in new report

The report’s authors interviewed dozens of incarcerated people, highlighting what they call exploitative labor practices in state prisons. Interviewees not only earned far below Washington state’s minimum wage, but also said they felt coerced to work.
- Libby Denkmann

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Incarceration

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