Emergencies

Emergency Messages for Offenders

This section provides information to send an emergency message related to a critical illness, injury or death experienced by members of the offender’s immediate family.

Emergency phone calls must go through the offender's facility location.

Facility staff are trained to route your call according to the situation. If you have a death in the family or other emergent need to contact your offender, then contact his/her Corrections Counselor. If the counselor is not available, you may ask for the unit supervisor or, if you feel more comfortable, the prison chaplain. Prison chaplains are available during normal business hours.

After normal business hours you will contact the shift officer to explain your situation. The staff are trained to route your call according to the situation.

The message must be verified by staff before it is passed on to the offender. It would be helpful to have any verifiable information handy.

Do not save this information for visiting day. Let the facility know ahead of time so that services and support can be put in place for the welfare of your offender.

Other Emergencies

Funeral / Bedside Visits

Furloughs or releases from prison are not granted to offenders; however, an offender may be considered for a funeral or bedside visit (when death is imminent) for immediate family members only. Approval is at the discretion of the Superintendent and must be pre-paid by the offender or family.

The offender may be allowed an escorted bedside visit to a hospital or nursing home or be escorted to attend the funeral, but will not be allowed to do both. The bedside visit or funeral must occur within the state of Washington.

Expenses are the responsibility of the offender or his or her family and must be arranged before the bedside visit or funeral trip. The offender’s assigned counselor will provide a cost estimate for the family paying the cost of the trip. Contact the counselor for assistance with this.