Washington Corrections Center for Women

washington corrections center for women

9601 Bujacich Road NW [Driving Directions]
Gig Harbor, WA 98332-8300
(253) 858-4200

Superintendent: Douglas Cole

The Washington Corrections Center for Women (WCCW) is a 75-acre facility located close to Gig Harbor.  The site includes living units, administration buildings, a health clinic, education buildings, a gymnasium, a chapel, industries buildings, food service buildings and support facilities. 

Visiting an Offender

Programs

Tacoma Community College provides basic educational programs and vocational programs that include Information Technology, Technical Design, and Ornamental Horticulture.  

The Prison Pet Partnership Program (PPPP) provides rehabilitation through the human-animal bond.  The PPPP rescues adult dogs from area animal shelters and brings them to WCCW where offenders train them to become service dogs. 

The Residential Parenting Program promotes healthy mother-child bonding and attachment that research has shown is essential to healthy, intellectual, social, and psychological development. 

The Braille Program trains offenders in the use of Braille Translation computer software. 

Volunteers with rebuildingfamilies.org can help with re-entry.

Correctional Industries Programs

Correctional Industries provides educational training and an opportunity to gain marketable job skills through programs like CAD Services, Embroidery, and Trades Related Apprenticeship Coach (TRAC).  Correctional Industries, in partnership with local area union organizations, has developed a program that trains offenders in the proper use of hand tools and construction and welding techniques.  Successful graduates of this program may be employed upon release in non-traditional trades for women such as carpenter, ironworker or laborer union apprenticeship programs.

Community Involvement

Over 600 community volunteers serve WCCW in many capacities, including academic internships, chemical dependency counseling, transition planning, tutoring, creative writing, diversity awareness, NIV/AIDS education, speech classes, theatrical movement, meditation, and staff aids.  Girl Scout Totem Council offer the Girl Scout Beyond Bars Program, where offender mothers act as leaders to provide craft and educational projects for their daughters. 

Nationally known groups such as Toastmasters International, Alcoholics, Anonymous, and Narcotics Anonymous also provide volunteer services. 

Community service crews conduct grounds maintenance, light repairs, and planting and harvesting tasks.  In addition, over 40 female offenders work on outside crews for facility-related tasks such as general facilities and grounds maintenance, and sundries store operations to include stocking, order fulfillment and inventory tasks.

Facility History

In the 1966 fall election, Washington State voters approved the construction of a separate, stand-alone women’s correctional facility.  Prior to that time, female offenders were housed in an annex at the Washington State Penitentiary (an adult male facility) located in Walla Walla. 

Construction of the new women’s institution was completed in early 1971 and 92 women were transferred to the Purdy Treatment Center, as it was known at that time.  Originally designed to house 162 offenders, the facility avoided almost all prison-like appearances with dormitory-type housing and lack of fencing.  During the late 1970s and early 1980s, the facility required significant modifications due to security concerns as a result of an increased offender population and offender profile changes. 

In 1992, a minimum-security facility consisting of seven structures was constructed, adding 272 minimum-security bed spaces, along with education, administration, and kitchen/dining room facilities.  During 1994 and 1996, a 102-bed close-custody unit and a 256-bed medium-security unit were constructed, respectively. 

In 2000, the Special Needs Unit (SNU) structure was constructed to house incoming offenders in the reception living areas, as well as segregation and acute mental health care living units.  In addition, a kennel building was constructed to house the dog training program. 

Since its inception, WCCW has served as both women’s Reception Center and Corrections Center.  Until the early 2000s, WCCW was Washington’s only major correctional facility for adult women.

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