Pine Lodge: the most efficient facility

By CARA LORELLO

Staff Reporter

With the state facing a $6 billion budget deficit this biennium, the Department of Corrections' announcement in December of its proposal to close Pine Lodge Corrections Center for Women in Medical Lake in 2010 came as a shock to the facility's employees.

Gov. Christine Gregoire's 2009-1011 biennial budget, which will be approved in April, is calling for drastic cuts in spending in virtually every state department, including $125 million in cuts for DOC.

DOC director for the state's prison division, Dick Morgan said on Dec. 24 the state expects less of an increase in its inmate population than previously thought, and this has produced a need to reduce capacity, which means closing one of the state's facilities. Pine Lodge is tentatively the one selected for closure.

Since learning of the state's proposal, employees have expressed their concerns to DOC's executives as concerned citizens, questioning their motives to close the state's only all-female minimum facility in Eastern Washington. Pine Lodge has earned high marks on a December 2008 accreditation audit score for maintaining mandatory standards from the American Correctional Association.

Though more recent capital investments have been made at other correctional facilities on the west side, Pine Lodge public information officer Helen Biddulph said the 359-bed facility is “the most efficient for costs per female offender in the state,” and not in the dilapidated state officials are making it out to be.

“Why would you choose to close your most cost-effective facility?” Biddulph asked DOC executives in a recent email, explaining why staff there does not believe DOC is making the right decision.

Staff question DOC proposal

Staff met with DOC assistant secretary Scott Blonien on Jan. 9, a meeting Morgan was to attend, but got excused for a funeral.

Blonien said the meeting was called to explain more thoroughly to staff why the department is pursuing its plans, and provide staff the opportunity to ask questions, or share any concerns they might have.

“I also went in with the intent to encourage them to bring to the attention of the Legislature any factors we may not have considered yet,” Blonien added.

At the meeting, staff suggested alternatives to closure. Using recent data from monthly review records provided by DOC, staff explained the costs per offender and operating capacities at Pine Lodge -- compared to west side correctional facilities Washington Correction Center for Women (WCCW), and Mission Creek Correction Center for Women (MCCCW) -- are more cost effective annually, even at its full capacity.

As of Jan. 12, Biddulph said DOC dropped Pine Lodge's population down to 292, when it's easily run at 400. “If the DOC would keep [Pine Lodge] filled to capacity at $29,172 per offender, that equals $10,472, 748 per year,” she said.

The cost to house that same amount of offenders at MCCCW, or WCCW, Biddulph added, is far grater: $12,538,075 and $15,142,261, respectively.

“Just by filling [Pine Lodge] to capacity and keeping that way, instead of running over capacity and wasting money at the two other prisons, would save significant taxpayer dollars,” Biddulph said.

Blonien said DOC headquarters is looking into whether or not evening out capacities between correctional facilities will produce more cost savings to the state. Also being explored are questions of whether or not high monthly premiums for sewer rates at WCCW is a direct result of overcapacity.

Close-custody facilities cost more to run than minimum facilities such as Pine Lodge, Blonien added, so “of course the savings [to run lower security] are more,” but it isn't a case of one being more cost-effective than the other.

Also prompting DOC's decision to close a facility is the expected population surplus in the state's male inmate population between 2009-2011. Should a closure proceed, female offenders will move to Larch Correctional Center, an all-male facility that would need to be converted to accommodate a female population.

The legislature began its session on Jan. 12, which will run for 120 days. Blonien said it's possible between now and April that conditions of the DOC's proposal could change, including where they may relocate Pine Lodge's offenders, or if a more cost-effective alternative is better than a closure.

Cara Lorello can be reached at [email protected]