Each offender has a non-interest bearing trust account where funds are deposited. Withdrawals may be made for a variety of reasons, including but not limited to:
Offenders are not allowed to directly or indirectly transfer funds to another offender’s account or exchange funds or items of value with staff, other offenders, volunteers, or sponsors.
Offenders may not withdraw moneys to establish or make deposits to accounts, investments, certificates of deposit, or credit accounts outside of the Department’s offender trust account.
Offenders are not allowed to bank through the mail or conduct monetary transactions except through their offender trust account.
All non-exempt deposits are subject to legally mandated deductions, as stated in RCW 72.09.480. These deductions are:
Legal financial obligations (LFO) are forwarded to the county of conviction on a semi-monthly basis. LFO is ordered on an offender’s Judgment and Sentence.
Crime Victims’ Compensation (CVC) is sent to the Department of Labor and Industries to assist victims of crime. CVC is not associated with an offender’s Judgment and Sentence.
Savings is held in an offender’s sub-account within the Trust Accounting System and is not accessible until his or her time of release, unless an emergent request is made by the offender and approved by Department management.
Child support is forwarded to Division of Child Services (DCS) on a monthly basis.
Cost of Incarceration (COI) is sent to Correctional Industries, Department of Corrections, to support the work programs designed to assist offenders with job opportunities. COI is not associated with an offender’s Judgment and Sentence.
Additionally, some or all of the following deductions may apply depending on each offender’s individual obligations and the balance remaining after the statutorily mandated deductions are withheld:
If using the United States Postal Service option, funds are typically posted to the offender’s trust account within three working days of the date on the mailroom receipt. If using the Western Union Quick Collect option, funds are typically posted to the offender’s trust account within 24 hours of receipt at a Western Union point-of-sale location. Deductions are taken at the time of posting. The balance that remains is available for the offender’s use.