Contact Information

  • Governor's Office, 360-902-4111

  • Alt Contact:  Snohomish County Executive's Office: Veltry Johnson, 425-388-3883

Snohomish County to Provide More Beds for State Violators

For Immediate Release: March 5, 2007

Governor Chris Gregoire today announced a plan to provide additional jail space for offenders who violate the conditions of their supervision in the community.

Governor Gregoire, Snohomish County Executive Aaron Reardon and Department of Corrections (DOC) Secretary Harold Clarke have reached agreement to temporarily house DOC community custody violators in Snohomish County.

Last week, Executive Reardon proposed to Governor Gregoire the activation of the county-leased Snohomish County corrections facility known as The Ridge to assist DOC�s management of increasing numbers of community custody violators.

�Making sure Washingtonians are safe is one of my top priorities, so I am very pleased we were able to work with Snohomish County to develop this plan,� said Governor Gregoire. �Clearly, Executive Reardon shares my priorities and I am grateful to him for his partnership and willingness to assist.�

Executive Reardon said the plan underscores public concern for community safety, agency collaboration and, �Makes a more prudent investment of state taxpayer dollars in local operations as opposed to continued out-of-state corrections expenses.�

Under the plan Snohomish County would house its minimum-security inmates at the 180-bed corrections facility near Arlington while temporarily accommodating DOC community custody violators at the Snohomish County Jail in Everett.

DOC recently ordered the release of 83 offenders from two King County jails because the number exceeded the amount the facilities are contracted to hold for DOC.

Secretary Clarke says that a plan for how community custody offenders should be monitored and recommended alternatives to incarceration will be outlined in a report to Governor Gregoire later this month. Governor Gregoire ordered the report following the deaths of three Seattle-area law enforcement officers in separate incidents involving DOC offenders on community corrections supervision.

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