Larch Corrections Center staff and supporters overflowed the Battle Ground Community Library’s Meyer Community Room for a town hall highlighting the education and Department of Natural Resources work programs at the facility on Thursday, July 6.
The crowd of supporters calling for the state to keep Larch open after plans were announced to close the facility flowed out of the community room, both into the hallway and outside the room where the open air doors were open. The supporters could be seen holding signs in favor of Larch remaining open.
Elected officials attending the event included state Public Lands Commissioner Hilary Franz, state Reps. Stephanie McClintock, R-Vancouver and Greg Cheney, R-Battle Ground, and Sen. Lynda Wilson, R-Vancouver. Republican 3rd Congressional District candidate Joe Kent was also in attendance.
Officials behind the decision to close the facility were invited to learn about the positive impacts Larch has on inmates, but they did not attend.
Cheryl Strange, the secretary of the Department of Corrections for Washington, gave 97 days of notice that Larch would be closed.
Franz provided brief remarks before she had to get back on a plane as Department of Natural Resources crews have been battling wildfires throughout the state. Currently, Larch Correction Center inmate crews have been working the Tunnel 5 Fire in Skamania County.
“Currently I just came from the Tunnel 5 Fire, which we all know is a very significant, challenging fire,” Franz said. “This year is going to be one of our most challenging fire seasons ever. We literally have 40 of our individuals from Larch on that fire right now. Ten percent of the firefighters on that fire are from Larch … They are saving lives. They are more necessary than ever before as we are seeing more and more fires on our landscape, but they are also the ones that are restoring the health of your forests. They’re building the trails. They are helping in this community.”
Franz added the incarcerated members working for DNR are learning skills, discipline, leadership and teamwork for when they’re released.
“We’re the first state in the country that pays them minimum wage. So when they leave, they have money in their pockets that gives them an opportunity for a new life,” Franz said. “And we have a post release program where we get them. They’ve been hired by local fire districts. They’ve been hired by our team. They’re also hired out on other teams. They’re not just hired as firefighters. (They are also hired as) foresters, mechanics. We need more people than ever before because we’re struggling just to fill those spots.”
Steven Smith, a recently retired teacher at the Larch Corrections Center, provided an example of one of his incarcerated students being able to have a fulfilling job after being released from prison. Smith said through casual conversation he learned about one inmate’s love for aviation. He had six months before being released. The inmate was going to earn his GED but didn’t know what to do beyond that, Smith added.
“I did some research and I found an aviation technology program for him up at Renton Tech. He applied for that when he got out. He was accepted. He spent 18 months … learning about what’s called carbon fiber technology,” Smith said. “This young fellow completed this program. He was hired by Boeing. And he has a job. He is a member of the aerospace worker’s union. He has a solid job. He has health insurance. He has a family. He bought a house in Shoreline just north of Seattle and his life is on track because of what he got out of Larch.”
Smith said there are many similar stories proving the education options at Larch can lead to successful careers for former inmates.
Lauren Zavrel, who has worked at the Larch Corrections Center teaching GED and high school credit recovery as Clark College faculty for seven years, explained in an interview the challenges the incarcerated individuals currently in education programs at Larch could face if it were to close. The inmates would be sent to other correction centers throughout the state where programs might not be offered.
“Larch is not just a fire camp. It’s not just a little prison over the hill and closing it is not just a state or county issue. Nationally, closing Larch will be seen for what it is, shutting down one of the most innovative and successful prison education programs in the country,” Zavrel said in the town hall.
Zavrel added that in 2016, before peer tutoring, Larch’s graduation rate in the education programs was around 15 percent. Now, the graduation rate sits at 85 percent as Larch’s education programs have certified 33 tutors since 2019 with another four in training.
Sherri Hinzmann, a resident of Vancouver, asked about what’s next in the fight to keep Larch open.
“I’d like to know when we’re going to go to Olympia and have a talk with this DOC secretary. That’s what we did last time,” Hinzmann said in reference to the 2011 Larch closure threat that was ultimately reversed.
A change.org petition found on the Keep Larch Corrections Center Open Facebook page has 1,358 signatures as of Friday, July 7, with the next goal set for 1,500 signatures. The Facebook page has more information regarding what staff are doing to fight for Larch and is frequently updated.
The Department of Corrections first announced the closure in a news release earlier this month.
“After careful consideration the Washington State Department of Corrections will be warm closing Larch Corrections Center (LCC) in October 2023,” the department stated. “ The data is clear that decreasing incarceration trends, coupled with future forecasts, means keeping LCC open is no longer viable. Every Larch employee will be offered a job within DOC. LCC’s location makes it difficult for employees to commute to another prison, and DOC may lose some valuable members as a result. DOC will also reach out to the Washington Association of Sheriffs and Police Chiefs, Oregon’s Department of Corrections and other agencies to help those who are not interested or able to relocate.”
