By james art WASHINGTON (TNND) — The Washington State Department of Corrections (DOC) announced Monday that U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland has appointed his secretary, who guides the agency as it updates transgender inmate policies, to the Department of Justice’s National Institute of Corrections (NIC) Advisory Board. justice.
Garland’s appointment of Secretary Cheryl Strange to the board that sets policies for corrections centers comes more than a year after the Washington state DOC reached an agreement with a disability rights organization to change detention conditions for transgender people.
“In Washington state, we have implemented nation-leading reforms that have created a more humane corrections system while improving public safety,” Strange said in a press release. “I look forward to engaging with other national leaders at the federal and state levels of government on approaches that can be implemented at the national level.”
Washington DOC’s Washington Disability Rights Agreement requires the agency to conduct screenings and searches of transgender individuals with a corrections officer of the requested gender. Transgender prisoners in solitary were also to have access to “gender-affirming property” under the agreement.
The terms of the settlement require Washington DOC to designate a “gender-affirming mental health professional” at each of its jails. The agency also needed to implement more “transgender-focused training” for prison officers.
Federal Bureau of Prisons Director Colette Peters, whose agency receives guidance from the NIC board, called Strange’s appointment evidence of the secretary’s “lifelong commitment” to public service and reform.
“Her progressive leadership has transformed Washington State’s correctional system, prioritizing both public safety and humane treatment, and her vision and experience will be invaluable as the NIC and Advisory Council work to raise the standard of corrections statewide.” Peters said.
NIC’s stated mission is to shape and improve correctional practices. Strange said the appointment was a great honor at the end of her career. She plans to retire next year, according to the press release.
“She has distinguished herself by improving the state’s behavioral health system, overseeing social services that impact more than two million Washingtonians, and guiding DOC through the pandemic and a series of reforms,” Washington Gov. Jay Inslee said. “It’s great that she now has the opportunity to introduce policies that have been so successful in our state at the federal level.”
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