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| Washington Senate considers outside oversight of prisons |
| By spokesman.com- Jim Camden |
| Published: 02/21/2017 |
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OLYMPIA – Washington could save millions on lawsuits like the claim for the slaying of teenager in a north Spokane tattoo parlor if it would spend money on an outside office to oversee the Department of Corrections, a Senate committee was told Monday. Some lawmakers are pushing for an outside ombudsman’s office for the department where complaints about the department policies and actions could get an independent review. Cost estimates for such an office vary, from about $700,000 to $3 million a year, depending on how big the office is and how many investigators or auditors it employs. But even at the high end, that’s cheaper than the $5 million claim the state is facing from the improper release of an inmate in 2015, said Sen. Mike Padden, R-Spokane Valley, one of the bill’s sponsors. The family of Ceasar Medina, 17, who was shot during the robbery of Northwest Accessories tattoo parlor, has filed the claim. Jeremiah Smith, who is charged with the killing, was one of about 3,000 inmates released early from prison because of a mistake in the program that calculated when a sentence was complete based on court rulings and good-time adjustments. Smith was released on May 14, and the robbery and slaying happened on May 26. Read More. |
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