Blake Decision Refunds

• Cost of Supervision Refunds
• Legal Financial Obligations Refunds

Cost of Supervision Refunds

The Department of Corrections (DOC) will proactively refund Cost of Supervision (COS) fees paid by supervised individuals on causes vacated due to the State of Washington v. Blake (pdf) decision. A refund process has been developed to ensure due process for impacted individuals.

The DOC’s Cost of Supervision Unit will conduct a review of COS fee payment history for all individuals with a cause vacated due to the Blake decision. These reviews will be conducted in the order in which the vacate orders were received by the DOC’s Records Unit.

• For individuals with multiple causes, the review will include all causes vacated due to the Blake decision and will be prioritized based on the date the first vacate order was received.
• If there appears to be Blake eligible convictions that have not yet been vacated, the review will be conducted once all vacate orders have been received.

Specific language in the vacate order directing DOC to refund COS fees paid on the cause is not required to generate a review for these refunds.

View the COS Refunds Frequently Asked Questions for more information.

Refund Process

Incarcerated in a DOC Facility:

If you are determined to be eligible for a refund and are incarcerated in a DOC facility:

• Your refund will automatically be applied to your Trust Accounting System account. If you originally paid the Cost of Supervision while in the community, it will be eligible for deductions as outlined in DOC 200.000 Trust Accounts for Incarcerated Individuals (pdf).

Not in a DOC Facility:

If you are determined to be eligible for a refund and are not in a DOC facility:

• If you are on active supervision, the COS Unit will contact the assigned Community Corrections Officer (CCO) to confirm the address in DOC's electronic file is valid for mailing.
• For all other individuals, an attempt will be made to locate a valid mailing address.
• If a valid mailing address is located, a notification letter will be sent along with a Blake Cost of Supervision Refund Address Verification form (DOC 06-065) (msword). Due to concerns related to identity theft, you will need to verify your identity by completing and returning the form along with the required documentation to the COS Unit within 60 days of notice for a refund to be issued. Telephone call verification will not be accepted.
• Return the completed form to us via one of the three methods listed below.
• Mail – Send to the following mailing address:
Department of Corrections
Attn: CCD LFO/COS Unit
PO Box 41126
Olympia, WA 98504-1126
• Email – DOCBlakeCOS@doc1.wa.gov (email)
• Drop off – At any WA State DOC Office (for forwarding to our unit)
• If a valid address cannot be located, or you do not return your address verification and required documentation within 60 days of notice, the refund will be sent to Unclaimed Property. DOC 200.000 Trust Accounts for Incarcerated Individuals (pdf) specifies how to reclaim funds directed to Unclaimed Property.

A shared mailbox, DOCBlakeCOS@doc1.wa.gov (email), has been set up for questions. Please include as much information as possible about your request including your name, DOC number, county and cause number (if known), and contact information. You may also contact the COS Unit by phone at (360) 485-1838.

Legal Financial Obligations Refunds

As a result of the Blake decision, any Blake-related convictions (prior to February 2021) qualify to be removed (vacated) from one's criminal record and for financial reimbursement when legal financial obligations (LFOs) were paid. Blake Refund Bureau was funded by the legislature and created by Administrative Office of the Courts (AOC) to refund paid LFOs. The Department is working with AOC to provide Blake LFO refund information and access for incarcerated individuals. AOC does not refund for Cost of Supervision paid to the Department.

View the LFO Refunds Frequently Asked Questions for more information.