NCJ Number
134072
Date Published
1990
Length
41 pages
Annotation
The State of Washington's grievance program began in 1980 as a 1-year pilot project at the Washington State Penitentiary, and a standardized grievance procedure was implemented in all Division of Prisons institutions in 1982.
Abstract
The grievance program was subsequently implemented in community residential facilities in 1982 and in community supervision offices in 1984. Currently, all offenders under the Department of Corrections' jurisdiction have access to the grievance procedure. Between January 1, 1982 and December 31, 1989, offenders initiated 51,148 formal grievances. Of these, 21,151 or 41 percent resulted in positive action being taken on behalf of grievants. Following certification of the Washington State Penitentiary's grievance procedure, the Eastern Court District began requiring inmates to exhaust administrative remedies before proceeding in Federal court. The district also stayed 43 cases previously filed while plaintiffs pursued administrative remedies. Of these cases, 27 or 63 percent were subsequently not pursued or withdrawn by inmates. The grievance program has proven to be an effective tool for dealing with offender-reported problems, but it is a time-consuming process for staff actively involved in grievance resolution. Provisions of the Civil Rights of Institutionalized Persons Act of 1980 are noted, and a report addendum projects populations and grievance activity for the 1990-1996 period. 26 tables and 25 charts