Stafford Creek Inmates Raise Thousands for Union Gospel Mission and American Cancer Society

Offenders housed at Stafford Creek Corrections Center (SCCC) donated $1,500 to the Union Gospel Mission and an additional $1,200 to the American Cancer Society.

The offenders who raised and donated the money are involved in SCCC’s program called the Inside/Out Offender Charity Work Group.  This group assists charity groups, families, and individuals in the local community by organizing quarterly fundraisers through local vendors and donation drives that are targeted at the offender population of SCCC. 

“I found it quite interesting that a group of inmates were thoughtful enough to do something for the community,” said Gary T. Rowell, Executive Director for Union Gospel Mission.  “This makes me think they are looking forward to contributing to the community once released and it shows me that the system is helping these men make positive changes in their lives.”

Over 500 offenders participate in the fundraisers, and approximately $1,000 is raised for each fundraiser. Sixteen offender sponsors assist staff sponsors with fundraising ideas and help decide which charities receive the donations. Staff sponsors include Coyote Ridge Corrections Center Superintendent Scott Frakes, Security & Logistics Administrator Kerry Arlow, and Business Analyst Jim Dunivan.

The Inside/Out Offender Charity Work Group has contributed nearly $14,000 to several groups and programs, which include: Student Needs Assistant Program, American Cancer Society, Union Gospel Mission, Beyond Survival Sexual Assault Center, Gray’s Harbor Children’s Advocacy Center, Aberdeen Food Bank, Habitat for Humanity, and Domestic Violence Center of Gray’s Harbor.

DOC Assists Operation FALCON in 249 Arrests

Several members of the Department of Corrections’ Community Response Unit recently joined the U. S. Marshals Service and various Western Washington law enforcement agencies in a special operation that resulted in the arrest of 249 fugitives -- 79 of whom were offenders wanted for violating conditions of DOC community supervision. 

Operation FALCON (Federal and Local Cops Organized Nationally)—Western Washington took place from Aug. 20-24 and focused on Clark, King, Pierce and Snohomish counties.

FALCON partners arrested fugitives wanted for crimes of violence, drug and firearms possession, and violations of community supervision conditions.  There were no gunshots, injuries or, high-speed chases during the operation.  It was very well planned out and executed.

“We are pleased to work with the Marshals Service and our other law enforcement partners to assure that public’s safety by arresting fugitives and holding them accountable for their crimes and violations,” said Harold Clarke, DOC Secretary.

The 79 offenders arrested in Western Washington had outstanding DOC Secretary’s Warrants. Additionally, preliminary reports said 17 were classified as violent offenders; six were sex offenders who ceased mandatory reporting to their sheriff’s departments and at least two of the offenders had weapons.

Participating staff from the Department of Corrections:

Scott Wilcox, Fili Matua, Brian Ford, John Tulloch, Colby Karlson, John DeGroat, Jen Thomas, Jim McGinnis, Kris Rongen, Ryan Ellis, Shawn Galetti, Ian Wallace, Robert Strayer, Henry Pineda, Bill Wolfe, Mike Woodruff, Doug Daviscourt, Jake Whitehurst, Nic Weber, and Mike Poston

Participating Agencies:

Department of Corrections, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Drug Enforcement Administration, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Social Security Inspector General’s Office, as well as sheriff’s departments from King, Pierce, Snohomish and Clark counties.

Yoshida New Superintendent at Cedar Creek Corrections Center

Hisami Yoshida

Hisami Yoshida has been appointed Superintendent of Cedar Creek Corrections Center.

Yoshida, who joined the Department of Corrections 17 years ago, previously held positions at three correctional facilities, including McNeil Island Corrections Center, Washington Corrections Center for Women, and Washington Corrections Center.  Her prison work has included a variety of positions starting with Classification Counselor and ranging up to Associate Superintendent.

Yoshida has also held several positions at DOC Headquarters.  Those include Assistant Program Administrator for Offender Programs, Female Offender Services Manager, Offender Re-entry Manager, as well as several project leads on agency wide initiatives.

Her appointment was effective Sept. 16.

Two DOC Prisons Receive Perfect Compliance for Their Wastewater Treatment

Mike Henry, Wastewater Treatment Plant Operator and John Aldana, Superintendent Stand by OCC's Wastewater Treatment Plant

Representatives from the Department of Ecology presented McNeil Island Corrections Center (MICC) and Olympic Corrections Center (OCC) with the “Outstanding Wastewater Treatment Plant” award at the DOC Executive Leadership Team meeting in August.

Since the 1970s, Ecology has been tracking on a monthly basis how well treatment facilities do at maintaining water quality.  They honor operators of treatment plants that have no spills into Washington’s waters, pass every environmental test, and analyze all samples according to their requirements.  Currently, 321 plants are regulated throughout Washington State, and only one in five achieve perfect compliance.

Not all DOC prison facilities have wastewater treatment plants or pre-treatment of wastewater. However, some facilities are equipped with their own water and wastewater systems, complete with sewage treatments plants that must be closely monitored. These facilities are regulated to keep pollution out of our water.  Each month, treatment plant operators must perform a myriad of tests on the water that has undergone various phases of treatment.  By the time the used water is released to rivers, streams, lakes, and Puget Sound, it must show a high level of compliance.

In addition to the perfect–compliance records of MICC and OCC, Cedar Creek Corrections Center was honored for nearly achieving 100 percent compliance; Cedar Creek had only one weekend during all of 2006 where it did not achieve compliance..

Skydiving for Adventure, and a Friend

Tam Snell, an Administrative Assistant at Larch Corrections Center, was one of 25 skydivers who set a record in 2005 for the largest all-female formation.

What started as a lark has become a passion for DOC employee Tam Snell. And now she has found a way to use her love of skydiving to help her friend and others who suffer from a crippling disease.

Snell, an Administrative Assistant at Larch Corrections Center in Clark County, recently helped organize a fund-raising skydive for the Leap for Lupus Foundation (www.leapforlupus.org), a Kitsap County-based nonprofit organization.  Seventy skydivers recently circled the sky over Shelton, preparing to set a new Pacific Northwest record for the largest skydiving formation.

The skydivers practiced Aug. 18 and 19 for the record-setting plummet, but rain washed out the attempt Aug. 20.

“The planes couldn’t make it up in that weather,” Snell said. “It was really disappointing, because we had everything lined up.”

Still, the group raised more than $15,000 for a donation to Washington State University researchers who are searching for a cure for lupus, a chronic autoimmune disorder. Snell, whose friend has lupus, said the group might organize another record-setting attempt next year.

“We have a great time doing this, and it helps a great cause,” Snell said. “It’s the perfect combination.”

Snell’s skydiving career started in 1994 when a friend’s mother planned an “extreme” 50th birthday celebration. For the other 19 people who went along with the whimsical birthday wish, it was a one-time thrill. But Snell found that she wanted jump again – and again, and again, and again.

She has jumped more than 700 times over the past 13 years. It literally has altered her life. She met her husband in 1999 at a skydiving event in Arizona. A few years later the Vancouver, British Columbia, native moved to her husband’s hometown of Longview and started working at nearby Larch Corrections Center three years ago.

Snell in 2005 helped set a record for the largest all-female formation when 25 skydivers jumped near Bremerton.
“It was an amazing experience,” she recalled. “I’ll never forget it.”

She’ll also never forget her most painful jump, which nearly killed her. On her 13th jump, Snell shattered her right femur and hip, broke her nose, cheek and other bones in her face, suffered a severe concussion and didn’t leave a hospital for six months.

Yet within months of her recovery, she was back in the sky and falling toward solid earth at 120 mph.

“I know some of my friends think I’m nuts,” Snell said, “but this is what I love.”

Now that she is an active member of Leap for Lupus, Snell said her passion for skydiving has grown even more.

“This is the best way I know how to make a difference,” she said.

Larch Corrections Center Scores 100 Percent on National Audits

The Department of Corrections’ Larch Corrections Center scored 100 percent on mandatory standards and 98 percent on non-mandatory standards in a national accreditation audit.         

The audit results put the prison on track to be accredited by the American Correctional Association (ACA) in January. The comprehensive audit examines all aspects of how correctional facilities are maintained and operated to ensure that prisons are managed safely and effectively.

Opened in 1956 as a fire camp, Larch Corrections Center has undergone many changes and expansions over the decades. In recent years it has changed its mission and added additional services for offenders including a Therapeutic Community, an innovate unit that encourages success through common goals among offenders.

The facility scored 100 percent despite having many buildings that are more than 50 years old.

“It’s a credit to the staff that they have taken such great care of the facility and squeezed maximum service out of it,” said Assistant Deputy Secretary Dick Morgan, prison administrator for Western Washington.

No other DOC facility is located as far away from other prisons as Larch Corrections Center, yet staff members and administrators play an active role in statewide activities.

“It’s a testament to the dedication of the staff,” Morgan said.

ACA accreditation helps ensure the agency’s facilities use the most effective correctional practices, provide safe environments for the public, staff and offenders, and are clean and well-operated. Located in Alexandria, Va., ACA (www.aca.org) is the only national organization that accredits correctional facilities.

This is the first time DOC has attempted to get all 15 of its prisons nationally accredited, a goal set by Secretary Harold Clarke. All 15 DOC work-release facilities have been accredited by ACA.

Coyote Ridge Corrections Center, Airway Heights Corrections Center, Stafford Creek Corrections Center, Cedar Creek Corrections Center and Clallam Bay Corrections Center were accredited in August at the bi-annual ACA convention in Kansas City, Mo. Olympic Corrections Center is on track to be accredited in January, the same time as Larch Corrections Center.

Audits at the state’s other eight prisons are scheduled to be completed by the fall of 2008.