RCW 72.09.680 Statewide security advisory committee.

(1) The department shall establish a statewide security advisory committee to conduct comprehensive reviews of the department's total confinement security-related policies and procedures.

(2) The statewide security advisory committee shall make recommendations to the secretary regarding methods to provide consistent application of the policies and procedures regarding security issues in total confinement correctional facilities.

(3) The statewide security advisory committee shall include a balance of institutional staff including, but not limited to, custody staff. At a minimum, the statewide security advisory committee shall include:

(a) The director of prisons or his or her designee;

(b) A nonsupervisory classified employee and/or sergeant from each local advisory committee of a major facility and one nonsupervisory classified employee and/or sergeant representative from a minimum facility;

(c) A senior-ranking security custody staff member from each major correctional facility and a senior-ranking custody staff member from a minimum correctional facility;

(d) A senior-ranking community corrections officer; and

(e) A delegate from the union that represents department employees located at correctional facilities.

(4) The statewide security advisory committee shall develop guidelines to establish local security advisory committees for each total confinement correctional facility within the department. The chair of each local security advisory committee shall be the captain at a major facility and the lieutenant at a minimum security facility. The local security advisory committee should consist of a wide range of nonsupervisory classified employees and/or sergeants from the facility, such as medical staff, class counselors, program staff, and mental health staff.

(5) The department shall report back to the governor and appropriate committees of the legislature by November 1, 2011, and annually thereafter. The report shall include:

(a) Recommendations raised by both the statewide and local security advisory committees;

(b) Recommendations, if any, for improving the ability of nonsupervisory classified employees to provide input on safety concerns including labor and industries mandated safety committees and the inclusion of safety issues in collective bargaining;

(c) Actions taken by the department as a result of recommendations by the statewide and local security advisory committees; and

(d) Recommendations for additional resources or legislation to address security concerns in total confinement correctional facilities.

(6) The department shall report back to the governor and the appropriate committees of the legislature by November 1, 2011, on issues related to safety within community corrections. The department shall engage employees from all levels of the community corrections division in preparing the report.

[ 2011 c 252 § 2.]

NOTES:

Intent—2011 c 252: "It is the intent of the legislature to promote safe state correctional facilities. Following the tragic murder of officer Jayme Biendl, the governor and department of corrections requested the national institute of corrections to review safety procedures at the Monroe reformatory. While the report found the Monroe reformatory is a safe institution, it recommends changes that would enhance safety. The legislature recognizes that operating safe institutions requires ongoing efforts to address areas where improvements can be made to enhance the safety of state correctional facilities. This act addresses ways to increase safety at state correctional facilities and implements changes recommended in the report of the national institute of corrections." [ 2011 c 252 § 1.]