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| Less Security For Some at Correctional Complex |
| By enterprisenewspapers.com |
| Published: 02/08/2010 |
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MONROE — In a first for the state, the Monroe Correctional Complex will begin housing a group of mentally ill offenders next month in its lowest security setting. By April, 90 prisoners may move into a renovated minimum security building. The group will further cement the prison’s role as the state’s top destination for mentally ill convicts. The change at the 365-acre complex was triggered in large part by the budget. Gov. Chris Gregoire directed the state Department of Corrections to close prisons this year, potentially saving millions. The program at Monroe will help the state juggle inmates as other prisons close. It also will bring more of the state’s mental health operations under one roof. “This is a first for us,” Monroe prison superintendent Scott Frakes said. “That’s pretty big.” Some correctional officers and inmates are concerned about safety as part of the change, according to Zoe Leonard, head of mental health operations at the prison. They shouldn’t be, she said. The prison is holding meetings to discuss the change. Staff and prisoners alike will learn that most of the mentally ill inmates are within two years of release and none have red flags for violent behavior. The inmates will take medication and go to counseling for conditions such as bipolar disorder, depression and anxiety. The unit will house no schizophrenic or psychotic inmates, she said. “If they have that kind of behavior, they’re not going to the camp,” Leonard said. “The camp” is what many prison officials call Monroe’s minimum security unit, where inmates live in one-story wooden buildings that look more like military barracks than cell blocks. Read More. |
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