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At Department of Corrections’ Reentry Centers, WFSE members help incarcerated individuals make the jump from life in prison to lives in our communities.
They give people a second chance, and a real shot at a successful life after incarceration.
Two DOC Reentry Centers, Bellingham and Ahtanum View (Yakima), were slated to close in Gov. Inslee’s proposed 2025 operating budget, and they were not addressed in Governor Ferguson’s “budget principles.
Knee-jerk attempts to address the budget shortfall by closing reentry centers would be costly for Washingtonians.
- DOC reentry centers reduce recidivism and make our communities safer.
Research has repreatedly shown that those who serve a portion of their sentence in community custody in a Department of Corrections reentry or work release facility have a much lower recidivism rate, meaning they are less likely to commit another crime and end up in back in jail.
- Closures would cost the state more money. Reentry Centers are revenue-positive.
Research conducted by the Washington State Institute for Public Policy indicates that reentry programs have a positive cost/benefit impact; for every dollar spent, $3.82 is returned to the state.
- Closures would threaten the capacity of our community custody system when the need for more capacity is rising.
Given the effectiveness of reentry centers, our lawmakers have proposed legislation that would allow incarcerated individuals to serve a greater portion of their sentence in community custody in a reentry center.
- Sever established community connections for residents
Reentry centers are about reintegrating folks who have been involved with the criminal justice system back into our communities, because that's where they're headed.
For many reentry center residents, their jobs in the community are the first real jobs they've ever had.
“If we close these two reentry centers, it’s going to disproportionately impact underserved communities in Bellingham and Yakima,” said Furchert added. “It’s going to sever established community connections for our residents.”
Send a Message to Lawmakers
We’re calling on fellow WFSE members, folks who care about public safety, and those who believe in rehabilitation to protest these closures by sending a letter to their elected officials to remove these closures from the budget. Click here to send a letter with a click.
We Need More Capacity, Not Closures
Within the last 5 years, DOC has searched for sites for an additional 4 reentry centers, totaling 200 beds.
Since then, only 1 site has been opened (Wenatchee), and we have lost 2 to external organizations closing them (Bishop Lewis in King Country and Progress House in King Country). It took 4 years to site and open the Wenatchee Center.
Our current capacity is 778 in reentry centers. There were about 1300 individuals on a waitlist for reentry center space as of 2019, and there are about 13,500 individuals currently incarcerated in Washington state.
House Bill 1239 is good legislation that would improve outcomes and public safety but also increase the need for capacity by expanding community custody eligibility. It would allow individuals to serve up to 18 months of their sentence in graduated reentry, an increase from the current 12 months.
It’s About Changing Lives
Our members at Bellingham and Ahtanum View provide direct services for those who would be homeless upon release or who do not have meaningful support to return to — from finding and retaining employment to pursuing education to developing life skills and reconnecting with family members.
“We prepare folks to be good neighbors,” said Brian Parks, a Community Corrections Officer and WFSE member. “They're learning that we're in their corner, and it just makes it a whole great transition for them. It's not a scary time.”
WFSE members in the Community Corrections program worked tirelessly on the front lines during the pandemic, managing an active caseload of around 18,000 individuals. They put themselves at risk of illness, burnout, PTSD, and worse.
Their dedication in Reentry Centers like Bellingham and Ahtanum View provided a vital release valve for those working in the prisons and ensured that the rehabilitative work of their agency did not suffer despite a global pandemic.
“Everyone that goes to prison is coming out eventually," Furchert said. "And when they come out and they're living in the house next to yours, or they're in your community, you want to make sure someone's watching them that’s professional and values their job and takes it seriously.”
Send a Message with a Click
Send a message to decision-makers by clicking here. It will send a letter to your elected officials urging them to push back against cuts that put public safety in jeopardy.
