Office of the Corrections Ombuds. The Office of the Corrections Ombuds (OCO) was created in 2018 as an independent and impartial office in the Governor's Office to:
The OCO's statutory duties and responsibilities include, among other duties:
Apprenticeships. The Washington State Apprenticeship and Training Council (WSATC), which is part of the Department of Labor and Industries (L&I), is responsible for establishing standards, approving state registered apprenticeships programs and state recognized apprenticeship preparation programs, and issuing completion certificates.
State registered apprenticeships provide training and education to apprentices through a combination of on-the-job training and related supplemental classroom instruction, under the supervision of a journey-level craft person or trade professional. Employer-sponsored or union-sponsored schools or community or technical colleges offer the technical instruction. Registered apprenticeship programs must have a minimum of 2000 hours of on-the-job training and at least 144 hours of classroom instruction per year to supplement on-the-job work experience. Most registered apprenticeship programs take around two to five years to complete and apprentices earn wages while learning their trade or occupation. Upon completing a registered apprenticeship program, apprentices receive a professional credential that is recognized nationwide.
State recognized apprenticeship preparation programs are education and training programs designed to prepare individuals for entry into an apprenticeship program. Preparation programs must meet minimum standards to receive recognition from WSATC, including a minimum of 80 hours of curriculum and maintaining a formal articulation agreement with a state registered apprenticeship program.
Postsecondary Education Programs in State Correctional Facilities. In addition to adult basic education programs, state correctional facilities offer pre-college preparation courses, trade pre-apprenticeship programs, vocational certificates, and two-year associate degrees and four-year bachelor degrees.
Currently, DOC offers the following state recognized pre-apprenticeship programs:
Subject to appropriations, OCO must convene an oversight committee to expand access to construction-related training programs in state correctional facilities and strengthen pathways for incarcerated persons to advance from those programs to state registered apprenticeship programs upon reentering the community. OCO may enter into contracts for services as necessary.
OCO must appoint the members of the oversight committee, including two persons with lived experience, and representatives of the following:
The oversight committee must:
By October 1, 2025, the oversight committee must submit a report to the Legislature with initial findings and recommendations for expanding access to construction-related state recognized apprenticeship preparation programs in state correctional facilities, and strengthening pathways for incarcerated persons to advance from those programs to state registered apprenticeship programs upon reentering the community.
Beginning by October 1, 2026, the oversight committee must submit a report to the Legislature by October 1st of every even-numbered year summarizing its work from the previous two-year period and providing any relevant findings and recommendations. OCO must publish information on its website designed to improve access to and outcomes of programs, based on input and guidance provided by the oversight committee.
To support the work of the oversight committee, OCO may consider relevant aspects of its work and communications, including any personally identifiable information of incarcerated persons, to constitute an investigation, subject to confidentiality protections under current law. Oversight committee members must maintain the confidentiality of any such records and information identified by OCO. This does not prohibit the oversight committee from publishing aggregate data or other information collected, provided that such data or information does not contain personally identifiable information.
DOC must collect data on the employment outcomes of incarcerated persons reentering the community after having participated in a construction-related training program in a correctional facility, including whether those persons participated in and completed any state registered apprenticeship programs. DOC, in consultation with the oversight committee and relevant state agencies, must make efforts to track and collect data on employment outcomes for at least three years following a person's release from a state correctional facility. Upon request, DOC must report any such data to the oversight committee and OCO.
Beginning by December 1, 2026, DOC must submit a report to the Legislature by December 1st of every even-numbered year with the following information from the previous two-year period: