Former Felon Picked to Lead New Program for Wash. Co. Inmates

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By Seattle Times

Published: 06/16/2003

The last time Nate Caldwell was appointed to a job in King County corrections, he turned it down amid controversy over his 1962 conviction for manslaughter.
This time, he has support from the corrections officers who opposed him then.
County officials said Caldwell's past, if anything, will help him in his new job: finding alternatives to jail and overseeing drug treatment and education for inmates. In choosing him as manager of the Community Corrections Division, they cited his 30 years of experience in corrections and his role in establishing the new division.
In 2000, Caldwell was appointed commander at the Regional Justice Center in Kent, but corrections officers said they were concerned, and Caldwell turned down the job. He said he didn't want his past to detract from his work at the jail.
Caldwell said the manslaughter he committed in New York when he was 19 was during a gang fight. After his release from jail in 1967, he pursued a career in corrections. Caldwell declined to comment for this story, saying he wanted to wait until his position with the division was confirmed.
Officials launched the Community Corrections Division this year to reduce the jail population.
So far, the program is not meeting its population goals, but Jim Harms, spokesman for the King County Department of Adult and Juvenile Detention, said such programs take time to develop.
In April, the last month for which figures were available, the Regional Justice Center had an average of 2,229 inmates a day, just over the year-to-date average of 2,208. The county's goal is to get that population to 2,185.
Harms pointed out that a year ago, the population was 2,900. But since then, the county has limited the number of inmates cities can place in King County jails. Part of the population decrease is from cities sending inmates to Yakima County and other state jails, Harms said.
Community corrections goals aren't being met, either. The program aims to have a weekly average of 75 people in its 'day-reporting' program - an alternative to serving jail time - but in April, the average was eight.
Three other programs - work-release, electronic home-detention and daily work-crew - fell short of their goals in April, too.
'We have, we believe, a measure of success,' Harms said. 'It does take time to reorganize.'
Caldwell has overseen the county's Juvenile Detention Division since 1997.
Under county policy, former felons can't work as corrections officers, but the rule doesn't affect administrative jobs.
In 2001, Caldwell was placed on paid leave after a Florida grand jury indicted him on a charge of conspiracy to obstruct justice. He was Alachua County jail director in Gainesville, Fla., before moving to Seattle in 1996.
The indictment charged Caldwell with lying while testifying in a lawsuit brought by a former jail officer who accused Alachua County employees of falsely blaming him for a much-publicized jailbreak. Caldwell was found not guilty.
The King County Corrections Guild has submitted a letter supporting Caldwell's latest appointment, said King County Councilman Larry Gossett, D-Seattle, chairman of the council's Law, Justice and Human Services Committee.
'Nate's performance and his attitude and his ability to build rapport and partnerships and help us solve problems is the main thing that made him be very strongly considered for this position,' Gossett said.
The Law, Justice and Human Services Committee voted unanimously last month to appoint Caldwell.

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