Draft report proposes huge cuts in DOC, JRA, RHCs; get calls and e-mails in

BULLETIN 10/14/09

Draft recommendations would close Maple Lane School in JRA, Ahtanum View in Corrections, Frances Haddon Morgan Center by 2013, Rainier School by 2017, decimate rest of RHC's.

TELL GOVERNOR AND LEGISLATORS: “THE CONSULTANTS GOT IT WRONG. SAVE MAPLE LANE. SAVE AHTANUM VIEW. SAVE RHCS.”

CALL 1-800-562-6000 AND LEAVE COMMENTS ON THE PUBLIC COMMENT PAGE

The state Office of Financial Management today released a consultant’s draft report and asked for public comment on possible huge cuts in juvenile rehabilitation, Corrections and residential habilitation center (DD) institutions.

The draft report floats the idea of:

• Closing Maple Lane School, a juvenile rehabilitation center in south Thurston County.
• Closing Ahtanum View Corrections Center in Yakima County where Federation members work with geriatric and seriously ill prisoners.
• Close Frances Haddon Morgan Center, an RHC in Bremerton, by 2013.
• Close Rainier School, an RHC in Buckley, by 2017.
• Decimate the remaining RHCs (Fircrest School in Shoreline, Lakeland Village in Medical Lake and Yakima Valley School in Selah) by making them skilled nursing facilities only with a much smaller number of beds.

The draft report does not include the expected huge costs of transitioning and bulking up other institutions to take up the load.

But OFM is putting out the draft report for public comment. It is imperative that you follow the link here and voice your strong opposition to all the draft recommendations. Don’t get fooled by the public relations ploy of using public comments as an end-run around the fact the entire report is flawed and off base.

1. SUBMIT FEEDBACK AND IDEAS HERE.  The public comment period is very short, only one week, until Oct. 21. Then, final recommendations will be made to the governor and Legislature Nov. 1. This consultant’s report was mandated by the Legislature to recommend a plan to cut 1,580 beds in DOC, 235 beds in Juvenile Rehabilitation and 250 beds in the residential habilitation centers. The consultants were Christopher Murray and Associates.
   
   
2. THEN, MAKE THE CALL.  Call the governor and your three legislators at 1-800-562-6000 on your personal phone and own time and tell her:
   
   “The consultants hired under the proviso in Section 130 of the state budget got it wrong. Reject their recommendations. Find another way. Save Maple Lane. Save Ahtanum View. Save the RHCs.”
   
   
3. OR EMAIL THEM YOUR MESSAGE HERE.
   

All members should call because an injury to one is an injury to all.

Members are already mobilizing, for instance with Maple Lane School Local 1926 and Eastern State Hospital Local 782 both meeting tonight. Lakeland Village Local 573 will picket the governor’s Spokane office all day Monday. 

Links:

Feasibility Study for the Closure of State Institutional Facilities (DRAFT REPORT)

• Part 1: Department of Corrections Facilities 
• Part 2: Juvenile Rehabilitation Facilities 
• Part 3: Residential Habilitation Centers

• Summary: http://www.ofm.wa.gov/news/release/2009/091014.asp

Check back here for regular updates. Send those e-mails. Make those calls.

UPDATE: 2:45 P.M. 10/14/09:

In the JRA report, the consultants conclude (pp. 25-26) that "the data do not support closure of either Green Hill or Maple Lane." They say closing either would not allow enough capacity in the rest of the system to handle the youthful offenders. But they include the recommendation to close Maple Lane because it gets to the numbers mandated by the Legislature. "While we want to make it clear that we think this is a bad idea, in conformance with the proviso, the final report will include a plan to close Maple Lane School."

ALSO: House Republican Leader Richard DeBolt calls into question JRA study.

In the DOC report, while AVCC is targeted for closure, Pine Lodge is not. The consultants say (p. 13) there is no ability to further reduce beds of female offenders. "The population forecast and the projected future need for beds by security level does not permit closing additonal beds." In fact, one of the options considered was reopening recently closed beds at Pine Lodge. But they instead recommend the new unit at Mission Creek to accommodate additional minimum security beds for female offenders.

• Seattle Times news story on consultants' report, closure of Ahtanum View.

RHCs: One recommendation is to immediately place children currently living at the RHCs into state-operated children's intensive care homes, meaning a transfer of current Fircrest staff and resources to a community supported living setting.

By 2013, FHMC would close, eight cottages at Rainier would close, two cottages at Fircrest, two cottages at Lakeland and one cottage at Yakima Valley. By June 30, 2019, the RHC capacity would be Fircrest 48, Lakeland 26 and Yakima Valley 38. FHMC and Rainier would be closed by then.

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