FINAL BILL REPORT

                 ESHB 1686

                         C 256 L 91

                     Synopsis As Enacted

Brief Description:  Creating an incentive program for inmates.

By House Committee on Human Services (originally sponsored by Representatives Hargrove, Riley, Tate, Prentice, Padden, H. Myers, Kremen, Dorn, Morris, Jacobsen, Roland, Pruitt, Valle, Betrozoff, Brekke, Paris, Scott, Inslee, Basich, Sheldon and Wineberry).

House Committee on Human Services

House Committee on Capital Facilities & Financing

Senate Committee on Law & Justice

Background:  The Department of Corrections provides inmates work programs through the Division of Correctional Industries.  The Division of Correctional Industries develops and implements programs that offer inmates employment, work experience and training and that reduce the cost of administering and housing inmates.  To achieve these goals, Correctional Industries operates five classes of work programs.  These program are referred to as Class I through Class V programs.

All inmates working in Class I through IV employment, receive financial compensation for their work that ranges from $30 per month for Class IV work, to the prevailing wage for offenders employed in Class I jobs.  Offenders working in Class V correctional jobs receive no financial compensation.  Class V jobs are court ordered community work that is preformed for the benefit of the community without financial compensation.  Competition among inmates for class I and Class II jobs motivates inmates to keep their jobs and serves as an incentive for inmates to produce high quality products.  Class I employees currently must pay 15 percent of their wages toward their incarceration costs.  All funds collected from an inmate's wages go in the general fund.

Correctional Industries job programs do not allow offenders to use their wages to pay for cells containing enhanced modular amenities, or other amenities provided as behavioral or production incentives. In addition, proposed prison capital constructions plans do not include the construction of prison cells that can accommodate an incentive program.

Lack of adequate space for correctional industries programs seriously limits the number of inmates that can work in skills oriented jobs.

Summary:  The Department of Corrections must develop an implementation plan for prison industry space at Clallam Bay Corrections Center, McNeil Island Corrections Center, and the proposed 1024-bed medium security prison.  The implementation plan will include sufficient space and design elements to support a target of 25 percent of the total inmates in Class I programs and 25 percent of the total inmates in Class II programs.  The prison industries design space plan must take into consideration the maintenance of an adequate inmate workforce for daily operations of the prison.  The prison design plans for Clallam Bay, McNeal Island, and the 1024-bed facility must be consistent with the plan mandated in the act, yet not result in the delay of the construction or modification of the prisons. 

The plan must also describe an incentive program for inmates working in Class I and Class II programs.  The incentive program plan description will include: how inmates will be able to earn higher wages based on performance and production; rules for recovering a specified amount from inmate wages that will be returned to the department to pay for the cost of prison operations; and special criteria for including handicapped inmates.  The plan must identify any legal or operational obstacles involved with implementing the design and incentive program and describe possible solutions.  The completed plan must be submitted to the appropriate committees of the Legislature and the governor by October 1, 1991.

Votes on Final Passage:

House  98   0

Senate 45   0    (Senate amended)

House  94   0    (House concurred)

Effective:    May 20, 1991