office of corrections ombuds

A new report is sounding the alarm about the state of mental health care in Washington prisons. It finds numerous shortcomings that increase the risk of suicide and contribute to lengthy stays in solitary confinement. The Department of Corrections acknowledges ongoing challenges, but says it's been making improvements and plans to seek additional funds from the Legislature to increase mental health staffing.

For the second time in less than a year, Washington’s Corrections Ombuds (OCO) is warning that the state’s prison system needs to do more to prevent…