OLYMPIA, Wash. (AP) — A few days after a state corrections officer was killed in a state prison, prison guards lobbied for a change in law that would allow them to collect money from the inmates who assault them.
Supporters of the bill say it’s not about the money, but about deterrence.
Attorney Brandon L Johnson says that taking money from the inmates will limit their access to everyday foods and other goods that they are allowed to purchase in prison. Inmates who work make little money, sometimes as low as $.65 an hour.
The bill sets inmate income deductions for prison guards of 20 percent for gross wages, 15 percent from any gratuities and 20 percent from all other deposits.
Officials say that 34-year-old prison guard Jayme Biendl was killed Saturday night at Monroe Correctional Complex’s chapel by a convicted rapist.
