WA Drug Strategy Hampered By Budget Cuts
Washington State is developing some promising new approaches to dealing with prison gangs, but its efforts are somewhat hampered by a lack of staffing, a recent study commissioned by the state said.
The study found prison “investigators are extremely understaffed and are in need of personnel dedicated specifically to (gang) intelligence and interdiction.” That’s a result of the unprecedented state budget crunch, said Dan Pacholke, deputy director of the Department of Corrections prisons division. “The timing couldn’t be worse,” he said Friday. “Our first priority is to maintain public safety and create an environment that reduces the likelihood that offenders will re-offend. We’re doing our best to make reductions outside of those things.”
At the same time, researchers lauded Washington’s “Step Down” program that rewards violent and often gang-affiliated offenders with lower custody levels for positive behavior. Among other measures, the department has started housing some rival gang members in separate housing units at its intake facility, Washington Corrections Center near Shelton. The practice led to a nearly 20 percent decrease in violence at the facility in six months, officials said …
Gang-affiliated inmates comprise about 18 percent of the 18,000-inmate population. The largest prison gangs are the Crips, whose members are primarily black and from the central Puget Sound region; the Surenos, a Southern California-affiliated Hispanic gang; and white supremacists.
The article in the News-Tribune has a good deal of operational detail.