Author Archives: Laudan

Slavic Outreach

Irina Dolbinina, legislative assistant for 4th District Senator Mike Padden, encourages the Slavic-speaking community in the Spokane Valley area to watch Senator Padden’s video in which he provides an update on the 2023 legislative session in Olympia.

Ирина, помощник Сенатора от 4-го округа Майка Паддена по законодательным вопросам, поощряет просмотор видео Сенатора Паддена, в котором он обращается к славяноязычному сообществу в районе долины Спокан и сообщает обновленную информацию о законодательной сессии 2023 года в Олимпии.

Inmate-health scandal at Corrections more evidence of Inslee leadership failure, say GOP senators

Padden will propose expanded package of reforms in 2020 session

As yet another major scandal rocks the state Department of Corrections, Senate Republicans who have been urging sweeping reforms for the agency since 2016 say enough is enough, and it’s far past time that Gov. Jay Inslee show some leadership and address the mismanagement of the agency under his watch.

“Incompetent leadership, high-profile blunders, costly lawsuits, inmates being released early and even deaths – that’s the record and legacy of Washington’s state prisons under Governor Inslee’s watch,” said Sen. Mike Padden, the Republican leader on the Senate Law and Justice Committee. “Instead of working to correct these issues, Governor Inslee has been putting up roadblocks and actively halting the progress of those of us who are offering solutions.”

The Spokane Valley lawmaker is one of the Senate Republicans, along with Sen. Keith Wagoner of Sedro-Woolley, who are preparing new legislation aimed at addressing DOC failures.

The latest high-profile prison blunder at DOC is a finding that negligence by the Monroe Correctional Complex head doctor may have contributed to the death of three inmates.

The situation at the prison, which is in the Snohomish County portion of Wagoner’s legislative district, highlights the need for comprehensive reform, say the lawmakers.

“This is a failure of leadership at the highest level but it should not taint the reputation of our professional DOC staff; let’s put the blame where it belongs, at the top,” said Wagoner. “It was clear from the start that Monroe’s medical director was unqualified for the position and lacked the necessary credentials for the job; yet somehow, those facts were overlooked or ignored. And now, six inmates have apparently suffered serious inadequate care, with three believed to have paid for that incompetence with their lives. We still don’t know how many more inmates were affected. There needs to be accountability, and more importantly, there needs to be fundamental reform; we owe it to the incarcerated and to those charged with their safety.”

Padden said that tragic news out of DOC is unfortunately no longer shocking to him, but to be expected given the failure of Inslee to lead on fixing the agency. As chair of the Senate Law and Justice Committee in 2016, he fought for an independent Senate investigation into the agency after several inmates were released early, endangering the public.

The Senate investigation recommended major reforms, including better monitoring of agency performance by the governor’s office and the hiring of additional programmers qualified to make fixes to agency software. A bill enacting legislative recommendations (SB 5294) was passed by the Senate in 2017, but was quashed by the governor’s office when it reached the House of Representatives.

“We had an agreed-upon, bipartisan bill in 2017 that I had worked out with Democrat Representative Roger Goodman,” said Padden. “It passed the Senate and the House agreed to take it up, but at the last minute, the governor’s office went to [House] Speaker Frank Chopp to have him pull the legislation – killing the reform measure.”

“The governor asked the public to trust him that all problems would be resolved. Unfortunately, sweeping them under the rug didn’t do the trick.”

Padden said that he will be sponsoring the reform measure again next session, but expand it to incorporate ideas on how to address issues revealed in the Monroe case.

He noted, however, that Democrats are now in control of both chambers of the Legislature, and Democrat support will be needed to see reforms enacted.

“Republicans have been fighting for vital reforms and accountability at DOC since 2015,” Padden added. “Inslee needs to step up to his responsibilities as governor, or at least get out of the way, so those of us who are committed to fixing DOC can get the job done.”

Background Information

The sentencing scandal that sparked the Senate DOC investigation in 2016 involved the OMNI computerized sentencing system. Over a 13-year period, approximately 3,000 violent and dangerous felons were released before their sentences had concluded, some of them committing new crimes while they were supposed to be behind bars. Two of those cases resulted in death, a murder in Spokane and a DUI fatality in Bellevue. The Department of Corrections never completed a full accounting, making it impossible to determine precisely how many inmates were involved and how many were charged with new crimes

In February of 2019, lawmakers learned that the Department of Corrections had discovered a new problem with the way its computers calculate sentences. Department officials informed lawmakers of a minor problem involving a couple of inmates. Lawmakers later learned through the press that a staff of 50 is reviewing more than 3,000 cases to determine how many prisoners were released early or late. While some inmates were released early, putting the public at risk, others were denied justice by being held beyond their sentence.

On July 13, the Seattle Times’s Jim Brunner reported that Dr. Julia Barnett, was fired as facility medical director at the state prison in Monroe for misconduct, and is facing an investigation over allegations of inadequate patient care. According to the article:

Dr. Patricia David, DOC’s medical director of quality and care management, described Barnett’s conduct to an investigator in January as “a breach of care, insufficient care, insufficient oversight and then really poor clinical decision-making.” She said she didn’t think Barnett made “the right decision on several of these cases and that resulted in bad outcomes and even death.”

… DOC faces several tort claims from inmates saying they’ve been harmed by inadequate medical treatment while Barnett ran Monroe’s medical facilities. One inmate has filed a lawsuit seeking $1.5 million for alleged misdiagnosis and negligent treatment of diabetic lesions on his feet.

Scorecard depicts recommendations implemented and ignored in 2017

Note: A Department of Corrections ombuds program was launched in 2018 (HB 1889), but the program is not independent – it is housed within the governor’s office – and it serves only inmates and their families, not Department of Corrections employees.

Justice for Victims

Dear Friends and Neighbors,

This is the last Report from Olympia you will receive in 2015. Due to election-year restrictions, I am not permitted to send out my e-newsletter until the 2016 regular legislative session begins on Jan. 11. Even then, I can only send these updates to those who have specifically requested them. If you have not done so yet, you can do so by clicking here and filling out a quick survey.

In this report, you will find an update on the work of the Senate Law and Justice Committee. On Nov. 20, we heard Congressman Dave Reichert and several family members of victims about the lack of transparency and concern by victims demonstrated by some at the Department of Corrections and the Indeterminate Sentencing Review Board.

Click here to read the full Report from Olympia.

Senate adopts Padden resolution honoring those with Down syndrome

Today the Senate adopted a resolution sponsored by Sen. Mike Padden, honoring people with Down syndrome and recognizing the efforts of people and organizations working on behalf of those with developmental disabilities.

Padden shared his personal commitment to policies that recognize the rights of those with Down syndrome.

“As a Legislature and as individuals we must make every effort to create a society that respects the rights and recognizes the value of every Washingtonian, including those with Down syndrome,” said Padden, R-Spokane Valley. “People with Down syndrome have a right to live where they want, to form their own families, to manage their own assets and to pursue their own dreams and goals.

“I am honored to offer this resolution applauding those with Down syndrome for their contributions to our state and all those individuals and organizations who have worked to protect the rights and lives of persons with disabilities.”

As Senate Resolution 8657 points out, there are more than 400,000 people living with Down syndrome in the United States today; it is the most commonly occurring chromosomal condition, with one in every 691 babies born with Down syndrome.

Several self-advocates for those with Down syndrome attended today’s reading of the resolution:

Eric Matthes of Seattle works for the Arc of King County as outreach and advocacy coordinator for its advocacy program for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. He is a key member of the Advocacy Days team with the King County Family Coalition. He is also the president of People First of Washington and a past chair of the Community Advocacy Coalition. In 2015, he was appointed by Gov. Jay Inslee as a planning committee member for the 2015 Community Summit.
Heather Comer, of Spokane Valley, was a gold medalist in alpine downhill skiing at the 2013 Special Olympics World Games in South Korea. She participated in the Special Olympics for more than 15 years. In 2013 she was also honored as the Washington State Athlete of the Year. She represents the state’s Eastern Region as a board member with the Special Olympics of Washington, and has been a board member with the Arc of Spokane for the last five years.
Angela Martin, of Seattle, graduated from Eastside Catholic High school and lettered in swimming. She served on the board of directors for the Special Olympics of Washington for nine years, and has performed clerical work for the Grange Insurance Association for 23 years.

Padden also acknowledged the work of U.S. Representative Cathy McMorris Rodgers, who represents the 5th Congressional District, covering the eastern third of the state.

“Representative McMorris Rodgers has been a leader on this issue, setting up the Down Syndrome Caucus in the U.S. House of Representatives,” notes Padden. “She is the mother of a son – Cole – who has Down syndrome, and she has done wonderful work in Congress to bring awareness to the needs of this community.”