With prisoners at Walla Walla

A friend in Woodinville once visited with me about a job therapy program in the state prison at Walla Walla. Basically, it was a program designed to make it easier for prisoners to be ready for a job after their sentence was up.

I got on the phone and called B.J. Rhay, the warden at the prison.

I was a little surprised when he took my call and indicated he would be happy to explain what they were doing at the prison, and invited me to Walla Walla to chat with him.

He explained that the prison was partially run by the prisoner’s council. It was an effort to get inmates to be more responsible about their daily affairs.

Rhay had the distinction of serving as warden longer than anyone else.

I made the trip to Walla Walla and learned that I would be able to enter the prison area and talk with members of the prisoner council, who were elected by vote of the prisoners.

I was let into the prisoner area without benefit of any guards. I guess I should have been a little alarmed, but I wasn’t. Rhay had assured me that all would be well.

The prisoners and I had a good discussion, and one of the things they wanted was for the state Legislature to set aside funding to expand the prison’s Job Therapy program, a reasonable request.

When I returned to Bothell, I thought the program was worthy of some attention by state lawmakers.

I called a member of the state house and also a state senator, both of whom I knew, and told them the story. I asked if they would go to Walla Walla with me and hear for themselves what I had leaned from my earlier trip.

Both agreed to go, so I visited with warden Rhay about our coming over. He said he would set it up with the prisoner council.

We agreed to a date and it was arranged that the State Patrol would be our taxi.

The first patrolman took us to the top of the pass where another patrol car was waiting for us. Then we were met by another patrol car near Yakima. The third patrolman took us to the prison at Walla Walla.

Warden Rhay explained to the lawmakers what he was doing at the prison, and then it was time to enter the actual prisoner area.

Again, we entered without a guard and sat around with about a dozen inmates.

We had a good discussion, and before we left the prisoners said they had a little skit they would like to put on. They called it “Kill Whitey.” I could almost hear the chin of the two lawmakers drop to the floor. It was all innocent enough and we got together again with the warden before we started the patrol taxi service back to Bothell.

Later, I asked for a tour of the prison at Monroe and found it to be pretty scarry.

Rhay was one of those type individuals who believed that others were to be treated with some degree of dignity. That is why he didn’t seem to have any problems with prisoners.

I don’t know if the visits had any positive results, but at least two state lawmakers got a firsthand take on prison life.