Court orders protections; coronavirus-spread inside Monroe prison led to inmates holding disturbance
Editor's note: This story will be updated to reflect the court's order
MONROE — More than 100 inmates rebelled over concerns about the new coronavirus Wednesday, April 8 at the Monroe Correctional Complex, where seven inmate cases have been disclosed. The state, meanwhile, is being pressed to protect medically vulnerable prisoners.
Officials are mapping out ways to release nonviolent offenders earlier than their scheduled term, the state’s prisons chief and Gov. Jay Inslee said in a Thursday, April 9 news conference.
One motive is to free up space for more virus quarantine rooms; another is for prisoner health. “We’re looking at nonviolent offenders, who are nearing their appropriate release date, who because of age or health conditions have a higher risk of potentially contracting” coronavirus, Inslee said.
But officials don’t want to just kick prisoners out. Inslee noted some need counseling and services so they are less likely to re-offend, and said making care arrangements takes time.
The first positive COVID-19 case at the Monroe prison became known Sunday, April 5 inside the minimum security unit, which houses approximately 450 men.
The nonprofit law firm Columbia Legal Services filed with the state Supreme Court requesting to order the state Department of Corrections to release certain prisoners who are medically vulnerable or over 50 years old, and within 18 months of the end of their terms. It also asks the court to require Corrections tests everyone who was in Monroe’s minimum security unit over the past 14 days.
Columbia’s documents catalog how inmates are scared about becoming infected, and how they believe they are not able to practice social distancing in the prison.
On Friday, the state Supreme Court ordered Inslee and Corrections to show the court a plan to protect inmates from COVID-19.Their deadline was after the Tribune’s press time. Releasing prisoners is not in this court order; that’s still being discussed in court.
A separate lawsuit filed in Pierce County Superior Court asks Corrections to answer how it is keeping inmates safe under Centers for Disease Control protocols. In a court reply filed April 8, Corrections said that 30 vulnerable inmates in the minimum security unit at Monroe declined an offer to be relocated, the Tacoma News Tribune reported.
Wednesday night’s disturbance snowballed from fear.
The incident began with a 6 p.m. walkout demonstration of about 50 inmates in the recreational yard. Inmates set off fire extinguishers inside two of the housing units in the minimum security unit, Corrections said in a news release. That was around 7 p.m.
Five staff members at Monroe have tested positive for COVID-19 as of April 12, from a case tally Corrections publishes online. The agency’s tally on employees is not verified by Corrections itself. They’re using staff self-reports, Sinclair said.
Corrections has test kits, but isn’t using them without reason. “We have enough, but we follow Department of Health guidelines” on whether to test someone, Sinclair said.
Every inmate exiting prison is screened for COVID-19 before being released into the public, Sinclair said.
Monroe, one of the state’s larger prisons, has the largest share of coronavirus cases in Washington state prisons, from Corrections reports.
Nobody was seriously injured in the evening incident.
City and county law enforcement, plus state troopers, were stationed around the perimeter. This was to make sure everyone inside the prison stayed inside the prison, Monroe Police spokeswoman Debbie Willis said. They didn’t enter the premises.
