OPINION: WA’s troubled jails need independent oversight

This editorial was published in The Seattle Times.

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There have been too many deaths, too many complaints and too many lawsuits against Washington counties over actions or inactions in jails for state lawmakers to look the other way.

Sen. Rebecca Saldaña, D-Seattle, has again proposed a bill that would establish statewide standards for jails when it come to treatment of the incarcerated, including health care.

Saldaña’s Senate Bill 5005 would create a state oversight committee made up of an attorney, law enforcement representatives and at least one person with experience being incarcerated, among others. The board would ensure transparency in the state’s jail system, support safe and humane conditions, and advocate for reforms.

On a daily basis, county jails are responsible for the health and safety of 8,000 incarcerated people, in addition to the thousands of public employees who interact with them. Behavioral health is a growing concern.

Many of those arrested are opioid users or experience mental health crises that led to their arrests. State oversight of how jails treat vulnerable individuals would not only help protect their lives but help reduce incidents of abuse that put cities and counties in legal jeopardy, much like the 2023 case in Yakima County highlighted by an investigation by The Seattle Times. Hien Trung Hua was 41 when he died after being shackled and beaten by jail guards; this despite the jail requiring guards to be trained on de-escalation techniques. His family filed a $50 million claim against the county.

Over the past 10 years, jails have increasingly gone from places where people are held for short periods to having to become medical providers for those with substance abuse or mental illness, said Steven Strachan, executive director of the Washington Association of Sheriffs & Police Chiefs.

The WASPC opposed a previous proposal to create an oversight board because it only called for one correctional officer member. Saldaña’s new bill would require two corrections professionals to serve on the board. WASPC does not oppose the new bill, but would like to see standards for jails created before the oversight board is established.

Washington now has the fourth-highest rate of jail deaths in the nation. At least 50 people have died unexpectedly in the state’s jails since 2022.

Lawmakers should address this serious problem in a bipartisan manner. Washington already has independent oversight of juvenile detention facilities and state prisons. It’s time local jails have the same accountability.

TNS