News Archive
2026
August
08/02/2026 | AHCC Wildfire Update
The Old Trails fire that has destroyed hundreds of homes in Spokane County continues to burn roughly six miles northeast of Airway Heights Corrections Center (AHCC). Currently, the facility is not under an evacuation order and remains safe to operate. AHCC has emergency response plans in place and…
July
07/29/2026 | Painting Over the Canvas: How Jon Saunders Is Erasing Marks of Hate and Designing a Future of Hope
Content warning: The following story contains images and descriptions associated with white supremacist and gang culture. Reader discretion is advised.
WALLA WALLA — Jon Saunders is a scholar, counselor-in-training and an artist. The 42-year-old just graduated cum laude from Walla Walla…
Colville Tribes Emergency Operations Center (EOC)
On July 19, six members of the Washington State Department of Corrections Type 3 Incident Management Team (IMT) deployed to the Colville Tribes Emergency Operations Center (EOC) in response to the Kaiser Canyon…
LITTLEROCK — On any given day at Cedar Creek Corrections Center, CCCC, you can usually find 43-year-old Masson Manson outside in the gardens, hands gloved and covered in dirt.
June
GIG HARBOR--A gentle nuzzle from a horse’s muzzle was all it took for Erin Mildenberger to feel her anxiety melt away.
GIG HARBOR—Bright lights illuminated the clean, white walls. Private rooms held padded treatment tables. In the hallways, green plants shared counter space with small baskets filled with lotions and moisturizers.
06/03/2026 | Navigating a Fresh Start
Reentry can be a daunting journey for individuals. Some find themselves without family support and a lack of knowledge around community resources available to them. Reentry Navigators can play a critical role by helping individuals prepare for life beyond incarceration...
May
05/27/2026 | Defying The Odds Part 3: Victor Sauceda’s Journey From Prison Classroom To Tech Founder
HOUSTON, TEXAS—When Victor Sauceda talks about computer coding, he sounds like someone who discovered a superpower...
05/26/2026 | LTAP Feedback Opportunities
Earlier this year, the Washington State Department of Corrections (DOC) announced improvements and changes to the Lodging and Transportation Assistance Program (LTAP). These changes were made to provide visitors to prisons and reentry centers across the state with financial assistance to help ease…
Trigger warning: mental health & suicide prevention. In mid-March, a call to the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline from inside a Washington State Department of Corrections prison set a critical response in motion. The trained 988 Lifeline counselor determined that the incarcerated individual on the line was in immediate danger...
05/15/2026 | PRESS RELEASE: APPREHENDED - Minimum Security Incarcerated Individual Escaped from Monroe Correctional Complex
MONROE – Washington State Department of Corrections (DOC) and local law enforcement apprehended minimum security incarcerated individual Samuel Evans Kimble (DOC# 439536), who escaped from the Minimum Security Unit at Monroe Correctional Complex at 10:53 PM.
25-year-old Kimble was apprehended at…
05/12/2026 | Washington Becomes First State to Implement 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline in State Prisons
OLYMPIA – The Washington State Department of Corrections (DOC), in partnership with the Washington State Department of Health (DOH), has made the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline available to incarcerated individuals who can now dial “988” from phones and tablets at all state prison facilities.