Correctional Industries Advisory Committee.
The Correctional Industries Advisory Committee (Committee) was established within the Department of Corrections (DOC) to make recommendations to the DOC Secretary (Secretary) regarding the Correctional Industries Program. Specifically, the Committee develops and implements programs that offer inmates employment, work experience, and training, and that reduce the cost of housing inmates.
The Committee consists of nine voting members appointed by the Secretary and four nonvoting legislative members. The nine voting members serve three-year staggered terms, and must include three representatives from labor, three representatives from business, and three members from the general public. The business members must represent cross sections of industries and all sizes of employers.
Nothing About Us Without Us Act.
In 2024 the Nothing About Us Without Us Act (Act) was enacted. The Act requires that the membership of any statutory entity must: (1) include at least three individuals from underrepresented populations who have direct lived experience with the identified policy or issue the statutory entity is tasked with examining; and (2) reflect the diversity of people with direct lived experience including those who reside in urban and rural communities with differing cultural and economic circumstances.
The Act provides that "direct lived experience" means direct personal experience in the subject matter being addressed by a board, commission, council, committee, or other similar group, and "underrepresented population" means a population group that is more likely to be at higher risk for disenfranchisement due to adverse socioeconomic factors such as unemployment, high housing and transportation costs relative to income, effects of environmental harms, limited access to nutritious food and adequate health care, linguistic isolation, and other factors that may be barriers for participating in policy making processes.
The Act applies prospectively and only applies to statutory entities created on or after January 1, 2025.
Correctional Industries Advisory Committee.
Two voting members appointed by the Governor and serving three-year terms are added to the Correctional Industries Advisory Committee.? These two voting members must be individuals from underrepresented populations who have direct lived experience as those terms are defined in the Nothing About Us Without Us Act.
(In support) This is an exciting policy to bring forward.? The Nothing About Us Without Us Act was an amazing feat, and it was surprising that there is not already representation on the Correctional Industries Advisory Committee (Committee) from people with lived experience.? It is a huge benefit to have people with lived experience contribute their unique understanding of programs like Correctional Industries.? This kind of representation would also benefit the Committee and the Department of Corrections (DOC) in pursuing their goals.??
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Allowing individuals impacted by Correctional Industries directly would be instrumental toward achieving positive change.? For example, a significantly smaller percentage of the incarcerated population is female.? As an incarcerated minority group, females feel the repercussions of policy decisions differently.? There is a lack of representation for gender-specific needs, all the way down to clothing sizes and availability.? There have also been larger impacts, like when an entire department was closed and moved to a men's institution, resulting in all of the women previously participating in that department being laid off.??
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(Opposed) None.?
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(Other) The DOC supports this policy and recognizes the importance and value of including incarcerated individuals in these discussions. ?The goal is to provide incarcerated individuals with valuable work experience and marketable job skills while instilling positive work ethics.? The addition of incarcerated individuals to the Committee will help identify gaps, and allow for the contribution of their unique perspectives on employment challenges upon release.
(In support) Representative Mary Fosse, prime sponsor; Jacob Schmitt, Just Us Solutions, LLC; Raymond Williams, Just Us Solutions; Jacob Schmitt, Just Us Solutions; Tuan Quach, Equity In Education Center; Kurtis Robinson, I Did The Time; Karen Peacey, League of Woman Voters of Washington; and Amanda Knight, Department of Corrections - WCCW.
Dinah Coble.