Monroe Prison Off the Chopping Block
Looks like Monroe Correctional Complex is off the hook. The draft report from consultants charged with recommending state prison closures came in yesterday, and the institution closest to Seattle, home to everybody's pet programs (including one that has prisoners literally reading to pets) is not proposed for shuttering. Instead the report suggests two options: One would close part of the Washington State Penitentiary in Walla Walla, the other would downsize McNeil Island (thought to be the only prison nationwide on an island). Read the full report here. 
The state wants to cut 1,580 beds from the Department of Corrections--not because the crime rate is dropping so precipitously but because our tax base is. The consultants' final report is due November 1.
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