PORT ANGELES – Fifteen convicts with Clallam County cases are among those set to be released early from state prisons.
The releases are part of Governor Jay Inslee’s plan to reduce inmate population and protect inmates from coronavirus.
The inmates are considered non-violent offenders. But Clallam County prosecutor Mark Nichols is concerned because many were held on non-violent crime convictions or plea deals, but have long rap sheets that may include violence in the past.
“The fact of the matter is that the release of inmates that’s occurring is in relation to individuals who are classified as non-violent offenders. But the reality is that these folks may have also engaged in other conduct that either was never proven but nonetheless we believe occurred. Sometimes people will plead guilty to one offense as part of a resolution to avoid a case needing to go to trial and so you could have a situation where a person is charged with a violent crime, but for one of many reasons, the case is one that can’t go to trial and so it resolves perhaps as a property crime.”
Nichols says he has staff contacting local victims to warn them and try to get them legal help
“We have been prioritizing making outreach to the victims of cases to make sure that they’re aware of what’s happening. We’re also directing them towards resources that can help them to put a safety plan in place during this challenging time. Of course, there are various tools that can be utilized by crime victims to help make them exist within a safer sphere at this time. And so I speak of protection orders for example.”
Nichols says he’s not sure which felons might return to Clallam County as it may hinge on what prison from which they are released. But he’s also concerned about any prisoners released early out of Clallam Bay Correctional Facility, without an adequate transportation plan, that might linger in the local area.
The state Supreme Court ordered the governor to implement a plan to reduce chances of a COVID-19 outbreak in the state’s prisons when inmates at Monroe Correctional Facility sued when cases of coronavirus began there.