Walla Walla Washington State Penitentiary

Inmates

The Washington State Penitentiary holds inmates at all security levels. It is the only correctional facility in the state to house offenders who have been sentenced to the death penalty, and it also confines offenders who have been classified as maximum, close, medium, and minimum custody. As of January 2003, the minimum-security unit with a capacity of 174 inmates was holding 169 men. The four buildings in the medium-security facility—known as Adams, Baker, Blue Mountain, and Rainier—have a combined capacity of 1,147. In January 2003 they housed 822 inmates. The close-security section of the prison, with a capacity of 717, was inhabited at that time by 1,002 inmates, with an additional 549 held for emergency reasons, making a total of 1,551 men, or double the section's rated capacity.

A segregation unit in the main institution houses inmates who have violated prison rules, and the Special Housing Unit holds people in protective custody, those with mental health issues, and some who have been sentenced to death. The institution's Intensive Management Unit (IMU) has a 96-inmate capacity, but it is currently closed for renovations; all of the unit's residents have been sent to other Washington State facilities. Men who are sent to IMU do not come into direct contact with other prisoners, and they are normally allowed out of their individual cells for only one hour per day. They are not offered any work to keep them occupied. At the other end of the custody spectrum at the [Page 1025]penitentiary, some inmates in the minimum-security unit may work outside the institution's grounds on crews that are supervised by correctional staff.

Education, Jobs, and Programming

Depending on the custody level of the individual, the institution makes various education and training programs available, as well as work and recreation activities. Education is provided by the Walla Walla community college, and some of the programs include adult basic education, auto body vocational training, courses in office technology, and training in carpentry and barbering. Approximately 1,500 inmates take advantage of the opportunities to learn new skills and further their education. In addition, hundreds of volunteers and two full-time clergy schedule more than 200 separate religious programs per month.

Prisoners frequently work in positions that help to support and sustain the institution, taking jobs in food service, janitorial, and maintenance crews. Prisoners cultivate a large vegetable garden on the grounds of the penitentiary that provides thousands of pounds of fresh produce each year to supplement the institution's food supplies. This reduces the cost of feeding the population dramatically; the prison spends less than a dollar per meal and is often able to donate excess perishable foods to food banks in the local community. Other work programs in the facility include a metal plant that manufactures all license plates for the state as well as road signs and metal chair frames, and a garment factory that produces uniforms for the correctional officers and clothing for the inmates.

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