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MINUTES
WASHINGTON STATE JAIL INDUSTRIES BOARD MEETING
September 6, 2000
Wenatchee River County Park
Monitor, Washington
Board Members Attending:
Mary Boehnke, Jeralita Costa, Doug Jacques, Debra Latimer, Randy
Loomans, Runette Mitchell, Bruce Thompson, Julie Wilson, and Marvin Wolff.
Proxies Presented:
George Hughes for Andrea Bynum, Curt Lutz for Ed Crawford, and Larry McKinstry
for Howard Yarbrough.
Advisory Committee Members Attending:
Kurt Bledsoe, Eric Haga, and Dick Winn
Guests:
Frank Young, Chelan County Regional Jail; and Jody Robbins, Washington State Labor Council.
A. Call to Order
Chair Bruce Thompson welcomed and thanked those attending and personally thanked
Chelan County Sheriff’s Department staff Sergeant Debra Latimer, Lieutenant Dick
Winn, and Chief of Corrections Frank Young for hosting the meeting.He officially
called the meeting to order at 10:00 a.m.
B. Welcome by Chelan Regional Jail Chief Frank Young and newly appointed Board
Member Debra Latimer
Chair Bruce Thompson introduced Chief of Corrections Frank Young of the Chelan
County Regional Jail and recognized Debra Latimer, newly appointed line law enforcement
representative to the Board.
C. Tour of Wenatchee River County Park and History of Corrections Park Program
Frank Young gave a history of the park and the corrections programs as he facilitated
an open discussion of questions and answers about the park and Chelan County
Regional Jail programs.The park was closed due to lack of funding for several
months. The Jail made a proposal to the County Commissioners to house minimum-security
inmates at the park and use staff and inmate labor to operate the thirty-three
acre park and campground. The program was implemented, inmates were selected,
and the park was re-opened on August 1, 2000. Inmates are free to interact with
the campers and correctional officers. This has boosted moral and has been a very
positive experience for all involved. The program was designed and established
with women in mind and is run 100% by women inmates. The inmates are encouraged
to be responsible workers and citizens of the park. With only two incidences
of illegal drug use by inmates the program has been very successful. Bruce thanked
Frank for his information and suggested the member’s tour the park at the end of the meeting.
D. Approval of the Minutes: June 21, 2000 Board Meeting
Chair Bruce Thompson noted a quorum was present and asked for a motion to approve
the last Board meeting minutes of June 21, 2000. The motion was made, seconded,
and the motion carried.
E. Executive Director’s Report on Action Items and Activities
Jill Will first responded to comments made about the Chelan County park program
and the observation that similar programs may not work in other, less conservative
jurisdictions. The Board and the jurisdictions with which it works need to be
concerned with issues of non-displacement of city or county employees. This is
a serious matter when using inmate labor and should be kept in mind whenever new
projects are contemplated. There may also be other legitimate concerns and issues
to be addressed for each jurisdiction. Debra commented that as the Chelan County
program becomes more known, more issues may come to light. Issues will be addressed
as they surface.
Jill Will submitted her written report.There was discussion on some items.
Jill reported that the Department of Corrections (DOC) has accepted the Board’s
request for a budget increase, which has been submitted as a part of a decision
package to the Office of Financial Management for approval. DOC will keep her informed.
Jill asked Doug to comment on the progress of hiring Corrections Clearinghouse
staff that will be working on the JIB web site. Staff should be on board by
September 15, 2000. Once they have started things should move quickly. Bruce
commented on the salary review process. He praised Employment Security Department
Assistant Commissioner Gary Gallwas, and Commissioner Carver Gayton for their
support in the process. The Board’s recommendations have been acknowledged and
will be forwarded to the Department of Personnel. Some issues are still to be resolved.
The Board will be informed as to the type of recommendations it can make when
the issues become clearer.
Jill reported on providing technical assistance. She is pleased with the progress
of Clark County and its marketing plans. Currently they have several active leads
and are trying to reestablish relations with the Port of Vancouver.
She also reported on the meeting she had with Yakima County Corrections Department
and the Yakima Nation for salmon recovery and restoration projects. Not only
are they interested in doing joint salmon restoration work, but they will also
be pursuing other joint programs that would provide community services to the
Yakima Nation and establish programs for which their offenders could do community
service work. The Yakima area has just established a lead entity relationship with
some of the municipalities, the Nation, and Yakima County to go before the
Salmon Recovery Funding Board for funding. Jill will work with these groups and
help put together a grant package for salmon restoration projects.
Bruce reminded
members that CCH still has state of the art sewing equipment available for
purchase. Jill mentioned that fabric is
available through DOC and the possibilities of a joint project with DOC.
She also stated that other jurisdictions are
doing uniform repair and asked Marvin to comment on Whatcom County's uniform
repair program.
F. Apprentice Presentation by Mr. Jody Robbins, Washington State Labor Council
Labor Liaison for Community and Technical Colleges
Jody Robbins provided hand–outs and a presentation that defined what apprenticeship
programs are and are not, what are some of the essential components of the program
and how it works, and the future of workforce development and how jail industries
can utilize the program and its resources.
Jody commented on how many of the trades are competing against the instant gratification
of the computer industry. Trades workers are becoming the shrinking middle class
needed to keep the economy going. Jill reported on a Puget Sound area study
that reflects the relative wages of workers. There is a 25 – 37% differential
in wages between the unionized worker and a non-union worker.These percentages
are important and one of the things the Board will be looking at in its apprenticeship project.
Randy and Jody stated that high union wages should be very attractive to inmates.
There was discussion about the barriers to getting offenders into these programs.
Mr. Robbins responded that apprenticeship programs can be selective, and that
employers do not have to, and will not, deal with personal problems that offenders
may have, such as lack of transportation and child care. There are preparation
programs, mentoring programs, and other means to assist potential apprentices.
It is important to make sure that potential apprentices have a diploma or GED
and high scores on aptitude tests and have prerequisites out of the way. It may
be possible to work with some education programs within the jails to do apprenticeship
preparation instruction. This could be a potential budget enhancement request,
pending the outcome of the pilot project. Mr. Robbins also commented that related
work experience is very important and any on-the-job experience counts when an
applicant goes before the application committee for an interview. Hopefully,
work inmates do in jail industries programs could be recognized as related experience.
G. Report of Ad Hoc Committee on Apprenticeship Liaison Position
Jill Will gave a brief history on Randy Loomans' concept of starting an apprenticeship
project for jail inmates. The information project would be similar to outreach
programs with the Community and Technical Colleges and School to Work program
at the high school level. This idea was brought before the Board at the last meeting.
The Board believed it to be a good idea and charged a labor liaison committee
to move forward, explore the concept further and investigate funding options.
The committee members were Bruce Thompson, Randy Loomans, Anton Jones, and Julie Wilson.
The group met one time to brainstorm ideas and decide a funding strategy. Members
realized that a lot of existing materials could be adapted for a correctional
audience without reinventing the wheel. Linkages can be made to supportive services.
The group did not envision the apprenticeship project as a one-stop shop or that
the Board would be doing everything. The project will provide some direct service
in the form of information gathering and network building for the offenders.
The main function would be to provide offenders basic information about apprenticeship
opportunities and then hook people into existing networks. This would be done
through an initial intake screening and providing referral service. There would
not be a lot of a direct service. The group also concluded through discussion
with potential funders that the project needs to have to a good tracking system
in place to verify the results of the project.
The group targeted the Central Puget Sound region for the pilot project, because
it is has the most jobs now and has the most projected openings for trades in
next few years. The jail commanders in King, Pierce, and Snohomish counties and
the city of Kent have expressed great interest in participating in the program.
The next steps are to touch base through Randy with the local apprenticeship
coordinators in the areas and the local apprenticeship councils and make sure
we get their buy off on the project as well.
- ACTION ITEM:
The western Washington apprenticeship coordinators meet on October 13, 2000.
Randy Loomans will follow up and discuss the concept at that meeting.
The committee developed a rough budget and had targeted a two-year cycle for the
project. Two years would account for the time it would take to get the people
through the program, address skill deficits, and potentially run through an
apprenticeship preparation program. The committee approached the Employment Security
Department (ESD) with this proposal. ESD would not agree to a two-year program,
but did give a firm commitment for a nine-month cycle. The project will be
structured as an inter-agency agreement between ESD and the JIB, thus avoiding
the necessity of going out for a complicated request for proposals. Administratively
it is very clean to make an interagency agreement with the Board. Jill has started
working on the interagency agreement between JIB and ESD.
It remains for the Board to work out how to actually handle daily operations.
- ACTION ITEM:
Jill and Randy will need to address and draft the operating agreement between
the Board and the State Labor Council.
Board members discussed potential concerns apprenticeship staff might have about
working with the offender population. Randy Loomans is in an excellent position
with her job at the Labor Council to help alleviate some of those concerns. Randy
has already spoken to some of the apprenticeship coordinators, the head of the
coordinators, and will continue to follow up.
Jill asks members to provide input on realistic goals and the process for setting
goals for this operation. Jill questioned the Board on how to identify realistic
targets for outcome measures. This is a difficult question given the fact that
we have a population with high barriers to employment and a relatively short
nine-month project period. She noted that several other programs are gearing
up to serve hard-to-place clients, which have thousands of dollars per client
to provide services. Julie Wilson noted that past projects lost 40% of the applicants
through the various phases of recruitment, marketing, and initial assessments.
The project should be credited for all applicants, not just the small numbers
that were enrolled or completed the program. Doug Jacques suggested that "success"
shouldn’t be limited to actual placement in apprenticeship but should also include
success of the screening process and linkage into a job or another program.
Alternative measures of success could include placement into a related occupation
or a referral to an apprenticeship assistance project. Julie Wilson committed
to work with the project to provide access to their management information system
currently under development.
- ACTION ITEM:
Volunteers for an Inter-agency Agreement Committee (Debra Latimer, Doug Jacques,
Julie Wilson, and Randy Loomans) will work with Jill Will to finalize performance
measures and targets.
- ACTION ITEM:
A hiring panel for the Labor Liaison Position will be Bruce Thompson, Randy Loomans,
and Jill Will.
H. PIECP Certification Deadline
A form letter was sent out October 7th to all inactive Prison Industries
Enhancement Certification Program (PIECP) certificate holders stating that if
programs do not become active they will be terminated. Jill Will responded with an
overview of Board activities with Clark County. Mr. Bob Watkins, PIECP Program
Manager at the Bureau of Justice Assistance reviewed that information and has
agreed to extend our certification until June 2001, allowing the Board time to
gain a business partner for active program participation. Clark County is
aware of this deadline.
I. Report on Salary Banding
Jill Will, Bruce Thompson, and Doug Jacques participated in the salary banding
process that examined the pay level for the Executive Director's position. Their
banding recommendation was approved and forwarded to the Department of Personnel
for action.
J. Other Business
Three jurisdictions gave reports on new activities. George Hughes, Snohomish
County, reported that as of August 1st the Corrections Department
leased Indian Ridge Correctional Facility from the state. The site will initially
open with 65 inmates now housed at the Evergreen State Fairgrounds. 34 women
will also be moved out to Indian Ridge.Work opportunities include a greenhouse
for raising plants for salmon restoration efforts and sewing projects for mattress
reconditioning. Snohomish County will continue to use the Fairgrounds for a DUI
Alternatives program. Snohomish County is very excited about the potential of developing
industries through the apprenticeship project.
Curt Lutz, Kent Police Department, reported on the process of bidding on remodeling
of the jail and a house adjacent to the jail. The house will be used as office
space and a center for their day reporting program or other alternatives program.
He anticipates utilizing the space sometime in June or July 2001.
Runette Mitchell reported that King County Department of Adult and Juvenile Detention
has a new Director, former Assistant Director Steve Thompson. She suggested that Jill
do a site visit to discuss Jail Industries for King County's alternatives program.
Debra Latimer, Chelan County, reported on outreach efforts with the developmentally
disabled and behavioral mental health communities to establish a horticultural
therapy program for healing gardens. A proposal has been mapped out with those
agencies for the gardens with an expected start date in the spring of 2001. The
annex is currently being expanded to house 60 – 100 minimum custody male inmate
workers and should be up and running by middle of October 2001. Chelan County
plans to keep the park open year-round to facilitate winter sports and activities.
Board member Marvin Wolff also gave a brief report and
handed out written information on the Whatcom County Home Port program, an excellent
program for youth at risk, which includes a wooden boat building program. He
also provided information on other programs and the recently completed law and
justice plan for the future. The Corrections component of the plan includes the
construction of a minimum-security facility to incorporate work areas for expansion
of work. In order for the plan to be implemented, financing of 1/10th
of one percent sales tax must be resubmitted to a vote of the public. Second,
suitable property for the facility must be identified from among five sites.
He credited Clark County and Jane Johnson as providing great help with criteria
useful for site assessment.
Debra Latimer also reported on a project at Airway Heights Corrections Center.
A software project being developed by inmates will track educational competencies
attained by inmates in educational and training programs. Information can be
shared between sites. Another component will allow agencies to address the competency
levels of their staff and utilize workforce development strategies for training
their staff. This program may be useful for the apprenticeship project.
Adjournment
Chair Bruce Thompson asked for a motion to adjourn. Adjournment was moved, seconded,
and the motion carried. The meeting was adjourned at 1:53 p.m. A tour of the facility followed
the meeting.
Summary of Action Items
- ACTION ITEM:
The western Washington apprenticeship coordinators meet on October 13, 2000.
Randy Loomans will follow up and discuss the Jail Industries Board concept
of an apprenticeship information project at that meeting.
- ACTION ITEM:
Jill Will and Randy Loomans will need to address and draft the operating
agreement between the Board and the State LaborCouncil.
- ACTION ITEM:
Volunteers for an Inter-agency Agreement Committee (Debra Latimer, Doug
Jacques, Julie Wilson, and Randy Loomans) will work with Jill Will to finalize
performance measures and targets.
- ACTION ITEM:
A hiring panel for Labor Liaison Position will be Bruce Thompson, Randy Loomans,
and Jill Will if the job is established as a Jail Industries Board position.
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