Travis Taniguchi, Alex Patel - June 2025

Under RCW 72.09.100, the legislature has vested the Department of Corrections (DOC) with the authority to establish a voluntary comprehensive work program. This legislation defines five types of work programs which includes free venture industries (Class I), tax reduction industries (Correctional Industries, Class II), institutional support industries (Class III), and community work industries (Class IV). The most comprehensive and diverse set of work opportunities are operated by Correctional Industries (CI) which offers a variety of goods and services such as institutional food service, furniture manufacturing, and production of textile goods. In addition to work opportunities, CI offers training, certification, and mentorship to people that participate in its programming. In this report, we describe the goods and services produced by CI; the comparability of CI goods relative to items available through traditional vendors; the amount and value of labor provided by people experiencing incarceration; the skill level of assignments available to people that are incarcerated; and the relationship between CI participation and post-incarceration employment.

In FY 2023, CI generated over $100 million in revenue from nearly 3 million labor hours from incarcerated people. The largest purchaser from CI was DOC, predominantly for food and clothing. Items manufactured by CI were generally priced comparably to similar products available through other vendors. The one exception was for prescription eyewear produced by the Optical Division; these were the lowest cost for nearly all items reviewed.

Across all DOC work programs, incarcerated people contributed over 9 million labor hours (equivalent to 4,300 full-time employees) to producing goods and services, maintaining DOC facilities, supporting community projects, and performing forestry fire service. Compensating incarcerated people at minimum wage would increase costs from $9.4 million per year to more than $150 million per year. People that had participated in CI were more likely to find employment after release, find employment sooner, work more hours, and earn more per hour. Due to data limitations, however, these results should be interpreted as descriptive and not causal.

Liqiang Liu, Paige Wanner, Micah McFeely - June 2025

The 2023 Washington State Legislature directed WSIPP to review all assessments and charges imposed on individuals incarcerated in Department of Corrections (DOC) facilities and their family members and the effect of assessments and charges on the financial status of incarcerated individuals. In this report, we quantified the financial costs of items and services incurred by incarcerated individuals during confinement, assessed their financial status, and explored how DOC collected and used the associated commissions and fees.

First, our review shows that while incarcerated individuals initially received certain items free of charge, they were required to purchase replacements for many of these items thereafter. In FY 2024, individuals spent nearly $37 million on additional items and services, with over 93% of the spending concentrated in five major categories: commissary items, phone calls, electronic media services, and food and personal property packages. Additionally, our price comparison analysis indicates that commissary items were priced relatively low.

Second, our analysis reveals that mandatory deductions amounted to roughly 23% of wages and 32% of funds received during FYs 2022-24. Recent policy changes have increased the number of exemptions to those mandatory deductions. Moreover, our assessment shows that the average individual incurred nearly $2,230 annually on additional items and services. Compensation from correctional work assignments could cover nearly 35% of the spending (on average), with the remainder typically paid by family and/or limited debt.

Lastly, our analysis indicates that DOC charged average gross profit margins ranging from 20% to 40% across these five major categories. Additionally, commissions and fees–primarily from phone calls, media services, and incarceration costs–were relatively small (less than 1%) compared to DOC’s budget and were allocated to improvement activities and CI operational expenses.

Travis Taniguchi, Alexandra Johnson, Leah Hardenbergh - June 2025

Law Enforcement Assisted Diversion (LEAD) was originally developed in Seattle to divert people away from the criminal legal system before they were booked into jail. In 2019, state funding was provided to expand LEAD into four pilot communities. In 2021, additional funding was provided through the Recovery Navigator Program (RNP) to expand pre-booking diversion statewide. Both LEAD and RNP seek to connect people with housing and mental and substance use disorder treatment to address underlying issues that drive frequent interactions with law enforcement. This report describes the state of LEAD and RNP implementation, barriers to achieving higher fidelity to core principles of pre-arrest diversion, the use of technical support from the LEAD National Support Bureau (LSB), and a benefit-cost analysis.

To address these topics, we conducted 60 interviews with 91 people involved in the diversion process, reviewed administrative data collected by the LSB, and conducted a systematic literature review, meta-analysis, and benefit-cost analysis. Results suggested that LEAD and RNP programs face considerable challenges in implementing pre-booking diversion. Major barriers include limited buy-in from criminal legal system professionals, insufficient capacity and funding, and lack of necessary resources such as housing and substance use disorder treatment. Clarifying the relationship between LEAD core principles and RNP uniform standards, facilitating technical assistance, and implementing improved data-sharing technologies would help to improve program fidelity and clarify uncertainty among diversion system actors. The benefit-cost analysis suggested that for every $1 invested in these programs, $7.39 in benefits was returned.

Rebecca Goodvin, Paige Wanner, Helen Ippolito, Alex Patel, Heather Grob - December 2024

The 2023 Legislature directed WSIPP to update the Adult Corrections Inventory, focusing on programs for incarcerated individuals in prison facilities. For this inventory, we reviewed and synthesized the research evidence for a variety of programs aimed at reducing recidivism and improving other outcomes for this population. This update prioritizes adding programs offered by Washington’s Department of Corrections (DOC). This is the second update to the Adult Corrections Inventory first published in 2013.

The accompanying report describes our standard process for evaluating and classifying research evidence and the reasons that program classifications may change in the current iteration of the inventory. Programs that are new to the inventory, updated with current evidence, or change classification due to benefit-cost model updates are identified in the report. Additionally, this report summarizes information about likely program effects on recidivism for all DOC facility programs included in the inventory.

Find previous versions of the inventory with the following links: 2013 Inventory; 2018 Inventory.

Corey Whichard, Morgan Spangler, Leah Hardenbergh - December 2024

The 2023 Legislature directed WSIPP to conduct a study of local jails and juvenile detention centers (JDCs). The study had three objectives: 1) identify changes in population characteristics between 2010 and 2022; 2) learn about staffing shortages, facility conditions, available services, costs, and funding sources through a survey of local facilities; and 3) examine the availability of Criminal Justice Training Commission (CJTC) classes for correctional officers.

The current study has three components. First, we used administrative data from 2010-2022 to examine trends in the characteristics of all individuals who were admitted to jail and JDCs for at least 24 hours. We observed decreases in the number of admissions and the percentage of individuals detained for drug crime, along with increases in the percentage of mental health disorders and individuals detained for violent crime.

Second, we collected and analyzed survey data from 56 institutions (35 jails, 21 JDCs) that operate 64 facilities. To our knowledge, our respondent pool represents all local detention facilities across Washington. Among other findings, most respondents reported that their institution struggles to recruit and retain correction officers, resulting in persistent staffing shortages. In addition, the average facility has been in operation for 35 years. Most respondents indicated their facility needs extensive repair.

Finally, we examined the availability of CJTC courses using administrative records and survey data. Although state law mandates that new recruits complete training within six months of being hired as a correctional officer, evidence suggests that CJTC courses are not offered frequently enough to keep up with demand. As a result, new recruits have been waiting 6-12 months before enrolling. Survey results indicate that most respondents are dissatisfied with the availability of CJTC courses.

Travis Taniguchi - October 2024

In Washington, reentry navigators work with individuals after they leave prison and enter a period of community custody. These navigators refer individuals to supportive services, rehabilitation programs, and potential employers. With funding from the Department of Justice, the Washington State Department of Corrections (DOC) is exploring the impact of equipping community reentry navigators with lists of verified service providers. The intent of the verified provider list (VPL) is to improve upon historical practices by creating a provider directory that is more comprehensive, accurate, and up to date. The VPL was implemented in four reentry centers in two counties; three reentry centers serving three additional counties serve as comparison locations. With approval from WSIPP’s Board of Directors, the DOC contracted with WSIPP to conduct an evaluation of the VPL.

In this preliminary report, we describe the providers that are included on the VPL; describe characteristics of people that are assigned to treatment and comparison reentry facility; and explore how the VPL changes engagement with service providers measured through the number of referrals, the length of time until first referral, and the length of time until first engagement.

There was evidence that the VPL was working as intended. Reentry navigators in areas with access to the VPL provided more referrals and provided those referrals more quickly. On average, the first referral was 30 days faster in treatment reentry centers (20 days) versus comparison reentry centers (51 days).

A final evaluation, including exploring program impacts on recidivism, will be published in December 2025.

Julia Cramer, Colin Gibson - October 2024

In 2021, the Washington State Legislature directed WSIPP to produce a series of reports to “understand whether participation in postsecondary education (PSE) while incarcerated contributes to greater enrollment and completion of postsecondary education and reduced recidivism post release.” This first report examines the association between participation in PSE programs in adult prisons and enrollment and completion in community and technical colleges (CTC) in Washington after release.

The Washington State Department of Corrections (DOC) and the Washington State Board for Community and Technical Colleges (SBCTC) have long collaborated to provide most of the education programming in prisons. In this report, we focus on DOC-SBCTC contracted PSE programs, which include workforce training or academic programs that lead to a vocational certificate, workforce associate degree, direct transfer associate degree, or bachelor's degree.

We find that participation in PSE in prison is associated with a higher likelihood of enrolling in a CTC after release. However, among PSE participants and non-participants who went on to enroll in a CTC after release from prison, there were no differences between their retention rates, GPAs, accumulated credits, or probability of credential receipt. When considering overall credential receipt during and after incarceration, though, PSE participants were more likely to hold a credential than non-participants.

A final report in October 2027 will expand upon this report, examining how recent changes to postsecondary correctional education in prisons have influenced post-release education outcomes and recidivism.

Corey Whichard, Heather Grob, Paige Wanner, Nathan Adams - June 2024

The Reentry Community Services Program (RCSP) provides support services for adults leaving prison who have complex mental illness and who pose a danger to themselves or others. Individuals are eligible to receive up to 60 months of mental health services and housing assistance.

In this second and final report, we describe our findings that RCSP is associated with positive outcomes for participants, as well as positive monetary benefits for participants and others in society. We also find that the monetary costs of RCSP are higher than the expected long-term benefits. We found no evidence for promising features to add to the program that might increase its effectiveness.

We evaluated the RCSP by examining differences in reentry outcomes for a group of program participants and a comparison group of similar non-participants. We found that program participation is associated with improved outcomes, primarily during the first 6-12 months after prison release. During this period, RCSP participants were more likely to experience positive outcomes (e.g., mental health treatment and receipt of financial assistance) and less likely to experience negative outcomes (e.g., recidivism and homelessness).

We conducted a benefit-cost analysis and found that relative to the comparison group, the RCSP returns $0.57 per dollar spent. In other words, the cost of the RCSP exceeds the benefits we can estimate, in part because program success leads to increased state expenditures. We were unable to monetize a reduction in the risk of experiencing homelessness. We found limited evidence that extension of the RCSP to other populations would result in net monetary benefits to society.

Finally, we explored which components of reentry programs in the research literature are linked to reduced recidivism and could be modified in the current RCSP. Among the analyzed components, only medication assistance, already available in the RCSP, was associated with reductions in recidivism.

Rebecca Goodvin, Paige Wanner - March 2024

The 2013 Washington State Legislature passed a bill to facilitate the use of evidence-based programs in adult corrections. It also assigned WSIPP to create an inventory of evidence-based and research-based adult corrections programs.

The 2023 Legislature directed WSIPP to update the Adult Corrections Inventory, focusing on programs for incarcerated individuals in prison facilities. This update prioritizes adding programs offered by Washington’s Department of Corrections (DOC).

In this preliminary report, we identify programs currently offered in DOC prison facilities and indicate whether these programs have been evaluated in relation to recidivism. We identified 30 programs offered in one or more DOC facilities between 2014 and 2023 that have been evaluated but have not yet been classified on the Adult Corrections Inventory. We will review these programs for possible inclusion in the updated Inventory to be published in December 2024.

Amani Rashid, Paige Wanner - September 2023

In November 2012, Washington State voters passed Initiative 502 (I-502), which legalized limited possession, private use, and commercial sales of cannabis for adults. Specifically, I-502 legalized the possession of up to one ounce of cannabis (about 28 grams) for personal use for individuals ages 21 and older.

In this report, we examined how rates of cannabis possession misdemeanor convictions have changed since the enactment of I-502. We found that cannabis possession conviction rates dropped to almost zero among adults of legal age immediately after I-502 went into effect. Rates also substantively dropped for underaged individuals after NMC legalization, but not as dramatically as for adults ages 21 and over. Across all age groups, we find no significant changes in conviction rates after the advent of NMC retail operations.