Department of Corrections Secretary Dan Pacholke resigned Saturday amid controversy over a software glitch that led to the early release of 3,200 inmates.
Pacholke said in his resignation letter to Gov. Jay Inslee that he was resigning in order to satisfy politicians’ “need for blood.”
“What legislators who point to error as an indictment of leadership fail to recognize is the magnitude of things that could go wrong in any agency on any day,” Pacholke said in his letter. “Errors will occur.”
“The shaming and blaming needs to end. It exposes ignorance of the complexity of the work of state government and it is a grave injustice to the 8,200 staff who work for this agency,” he wrote.
The Department of Corrections has come under fire after revelations in December that a software glitch led to the early release of 3,200 convicted felons early. The glitch has reportedly been leading to early releases for more than 12 years.
At least two offenders released from prison prior to their release date committed new crimes when they should have been behind bars. Jeremiah Smith, 26, allegedly shot and killed a teenager while robbing a tattoo parlor in Spokane, according to The Spokesman-Review. Robert Jackson, 38, was charged with vehicular homicide after he crashed his car, killing his girlfriend Lindsay Hill, who was in the passenger’s seat, according to Northwest News Network.
Last month, legislative subpoenas were issued by the Senate Law and Justice Committee seeking emails, reports or data compilations by the Department of Corrections and the governor’s office related to the early releases.
The separate probe will run concurrent to one already being conducted by two investigators hired by Inslee.
In a statement, Inslee said Pacholke was “working hard” to move the department forward.
“(Pacholke) submitted his resignation this morning, saying he hoped that his move would end the political blood thirst of Senate Republicans,” Isnlee said in a statement. “I doubt it will accomplish that, and I’m sorry to see a dedicated public servant end his tenure this way.”
The Department of Corrections was first alerted to the error, which started in 2002, in December 2012, when a victim’s family learned of a prisoner’s imminent release. The family did its own calculations and found he was being credited with too much time.
However, even though the agency consulted with attorneys regarding the error the same month and scheduled a fix for the program, it was repeatedly delayed and ultimately, never done. Pacholke has said he didn’t learn of the error until the middle of December, and the governor says he didn’t learn of the issue until that same time, when corrections’ officials notified his staff.
A software fix to the coding error, publicly disclosed by Inslee on Dec. 22, was implemented this month.
Pacholke’s resignation is the second major leadership change in as many days in Olympia. On Friday, Senate Republicans led the ouster of Transportation Secretary Lynn Peterson, firing her from the job she held since 2012.
Senate majority Republicans and a Democrat who caucuses with them voted 25-21 to not confirm her gubernatorial appointment. Some Democrats argued the act was a political ploy.
Pacholke worked with the agency for 33 years. Inslee appointed him to the top job in October. He was previously deputy secretary of the agency.
Pacholke’s full resignation letter is below.
Dear Governor Inslee,
The time has come for me to submit to you my resignation. It was the highpoint of my career to be asked to lead this agency. I thank you for trusting me with that responsibility. I have served this agency and this state for 33 years. I am proud to have worked for and help build what I believe to be the best correctional system in the nation.
That said, no system is ever perfect. Especially in complex organizations, there are just too many variables. What legislators who point to error as an indictment of leadership fail to recognize is the magnitude of things that could go wrong in any agency on any day. Errors will occur. The relevant test of leadership is how it mobilizes in response to error. In 2012, DOC leadership failed in its response to a sentencing calculation error. As I have before, I apologize on behalf of the agency for the tragic consequences of this error.
What current leadership discovered last December was a system failure. A tragic system failure. Understanding the system failure that occurred will take an earnest self-examination. I hope that in my short tenure as Secretary I have better aligned our administrative and headquarters culture to that which exists in field operations, a culture which recognizes and responds to disruptors, both small and large. It is a culture that strives to constantly improve, that recognizes that failures will occur but is prepared to act swiftly and decisively to respond and adjust.
It is my hope that with this resignation, the politicians who would use this tragic event for their political purposes will have satisfied their need for blood. The shaming and blaming needs to end. It exposes ignorance of the complexity of the work of state government and it is a grave injustice to the 8,200 staff who work for this agency.
What I am certain of, is that this agency has a strong foundation. The damage that has been done to the department by this error, though it will take time, will make it better if it is allowed to address this as a system failure and fix the issues this crisis has exposed.
It has been an honor to serve this agency and this state for more than three decades.
Dan Pacholke, Secretary
Washington State Department of Corrections
Information from The Associated Press is used in this report.
