It’s official: The state delegation for the areas most closely affected by the closure of Larch Corrections Center are against it.
In a letter dated Aug. 8, members of Washington state’s 17th and 18th legislative districts, who represent east and central Clark County including Battle Ground, signed a letter to Washington State Department of Corrections Cheryl Strange and Gov. Jay Inslee, expressing “strong opposition” to the closure of Larch.
The department announced June 26 it would be closing the facility on the east side of Clark County this fall.
The group of legislators, including state sens. Ann Rivers and Lynda Wilson, alongside state reps. Paul Harris, Kevin Waters, Stephanie McClintock and Greg Cheney, pointed out the value of what the DoC reported as 115 jobs at the corrections center.
“The dedicated forest firefighting crews and inmate work crews at Larch have been instrumental in saving the state millions of dollars through forest and stream restoration efforts,” the release stated.
The letter also noted the lack of training opportunities for incarcerated individuals, who would likely go to other facilities across the state.
“The closure would impede positive relationships and hinder efforts to reduce recidivism since access to visitation is crucial for incarcerated individuals,” the letter stated.
Larch was the only Department of Corrections facility in Southwest Washington, the letter noted. It mentioned the connection those incarcerated and those on the outside had.
The letter continued to extoll Larch’s ability to rehabilitate individuals. It referred to the concentration of inmates at larger facilities as “warehousing” of individuals, which “would be a step backward and compromise safety.”
“Additionally, the relationship between LCC and the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is vital,” the letter stated.
Incarcerated individuals working on DNR crews support one of the few facilities in Southwest Washington that can respond to fires in the region, such as last week’s Jenny Creek fire in La Center.
“We urge you to reconsider the decision to close Larch Correctional Center and work towards preserving its invaluable contributions to our community and the state at large,” the letter stated. “Thank you for your attention to this matter.”
The letter is only one of multiple pushes to have Larch continue operations. During its Aug. 7 meeting, the Battle Ground City Council voted on a resolution that requested the Washington State Department of Corrections continue operations at the prison.
The Clark County Council also voted unanimously July 25. The county leaders had much of the same concerns over the loss of the facility’s programs for inmates and its strategic location for fighting forest fires.
