Early Prison Release Proposed for WA Inmates
WASHINGTON STATE — Proposed legislation in the state senate would create early releases for hundreds of state inmates if passed. Senate Bill 5866 would give a 120 day credit to inmates considered at a “low risk to reoffend,” while giving a 60 day credit to “high risk to reoffend” inmates, even those who committed violent crimes.
Exempt are offenders serving life without parole, or time for murder, sex offenses, and select others.
KEPR Action News spoke with Bernard Warner, the Director of Prisons, who says the Governor has not taken an official position on the proposal, but would likely resist it, saying, “Any kind of early release proposal would be the last place she’d want to go. She’s a strong supporter in truth in sentencing, so I think there are significant concerns.”
Coyote Ridge Corrections Center in Connell is full, with some 2,400 inmates. The proposal, if made law, would trim the overall state inmate population by 3.5 percent, according to supporters of the bill.
Exempt are offenders serving life without parole, or time for murder, sex offenses, and select others.
KEPR Action News spoke with Bernard Warner, the Director of Prisons, who says the Governor has not taken an official position on the proposal, but would likely resist it, saying, “Any kind of early release proposal would be the last place she’d want to go. She’s a strong supporter in truth in sentencing, so I think there are significant concerns.”
Coyote Ridge Corrections Center in Connell is full, with some 2,400 inmates. The proposal, if made law, would trim the overall state inmate population by 3.5 percent, according to supporters of the bill.
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