Washington State Penitentiary Archives - Northwest Public Broadcasting

Washington Settles Lawsuit Over 15-Hour-Per-Day Lockdown For Inmates With Mental Illness

By Austin Jenkins July 11, 2019

File photo of a tower at the Washington State Penitentiary in Walla Walla. Washington Gov. Jay Inslee has named Stephen Sinclair as the state's new secretary of Corrections. WASHINGTON STATE DEPARTMENT OF CORRECTIONS

Washington's Department of Corrections has agreed to improve conditions for inmates with mental illness at the Washington State Penitentiary in Walla Walla. Under a court-approved settlement reached last week, the agency will open a new minimum- and medium-security unit for these inmates, with the goal of reducing the amount of time they spend locked up in their cells.Read More

Disability Rights Group Sues Over Walla Walla Penitentiary Treatment Of Inmates With Mental Illness

By Austin Jenkins April 23, 2018

At the Washington State Penitentiary in Walla Walla, inmates with mental illness are locked down in their cells for up to 16 hours a day, even if they pose little risk. That’s one of the allegations in a lawsuit Disability Rights Washington plans to file in federal court in Spokane on Monday.Read More

Walla Walla Penitentiary Hunger Strike Highlights Long-Simmering Fight Over Prison Food

By Austin Jenkins April 17, 2018

File photo of Washington State Penitentiary. CREDIT: WASHINGTON DEPARTMENT OF CORRECTIONS

Earlier this month, nearly half the inmates at the Washington State Penitentiary in Walla Walla staged a hunger strike. It ended after five days. The inmates were protesting the quality of prison food. It’s an issue that has been simmering in Washington prisons for years.Read More