Leon's Plea For Justice Former guard gets suspended sentence for prison tryst

A Pierce County judge handed a one-year suspended sentence Monday to a 40-year-old woman who worked as a guard at the state prison on McNeil Island until she got caught having an inappropriate relationship with an inmate.

Gina M. Mann pleaded guilty earlier this month to one count of second-degree custodial sexual misconduct and one count of third-degree introducing contraband. Both are misdemeanor crimes. Mann admitted she embraced and kissed the man in 2006 and gave him a ring, according to court records.

Her attorney, Terry Robinson, told Superior Court Judge Lisa Worswick on Monday that his client sought comfort from the inmate after another man incarcerated at the prison began harassing and threatening her.

"An affection grew between the two of them," Robinson said. "I don't know why she let this got on this far, but it did."

Mann, who no longer works for the Department of Corrections, apologized in court.

"I do apologize for crossing that line," she told Worswick. "I damaged my family. I damaged his family."

Worswick put Mann on two years probation and also ordered her not to seek a job in law enforcement during that time.

The inmate with which she had the relationship, who is serving time for manslaughter, was transferred out of state following the revelation of the relationship.


http://blogs.thenewstribune.com/crime/2008/03/03/former_guard_gets_suspended_sentence_for

Leon Toney Plea For Justice: Closure of McNeil Island prison on the table

Leon Toney Plea For Justice: Closure of McNeil Island prison on the table

Posted by Jennifer Sullivan

Sen. Jim Hargrove, D-Hoquiam, said today that the Senate is weighing the closure of the country's last island prison that can only be accessed by boat.

McNeil Island Corrections Center, in Steilacoom, Pierce County, is one of the most expensive prisons in the state to operate because its age and location, Hargrove said. Lawmakers are searching for ways to close the $8.5 billion state budget shortfall.

McNeil Island also is home to the Special Commitment Center, the state's mental health treatment program for civilly committed sex offenders who have completed their prison sentences. The Special Commitment Center would not be affected by any closure because it is managed by the Department of Social and Health Services, not the Department of Corrections.

The medium security prison costs about $49 million a year to operate.

McNeil island had been a federal penitentiary from 1875 until 1976, according to the Department of Corrections (DOC). The state of Washington started leasing the facility in 1981. In 1984, the island was officially deeded to the state, DOC said.

DOC spokesman Chad Lewis said the prison has about 1,300 inmates, making it the sixth largest of the state's 15 prisons. He said it costs an average of $37,000 per year to house inmates at McNeil Island. Citing a 2007, statistic, Lewis said the state spends an average of about $31,000 to house inmates.

Hargrove emphasized that the possible prison closure is one of many options being weighed by the Senate. He said they are also talking about keeping inmates transferred to out-of-state prisons for overcrowding and cost savings reasons in those other states longer.

Hargrove said the final decisions will be contained in the Senate budget. Senate Democrat staffers said the budget is expected to be released on Tuesday.

UPDATE: DSHS spokesman Steve Williams called this afternoon to say that closure of McNeil Island would dramatically impact his agency.

"They [DOC} are the lifeline to get us from the island and the main land," Williams said. "We rely on DOC for transportation, they operate the boats. They operate the fire department and they have an emergency response team, kind of like a SWAT team, that we can call on if we have an emergency."

Williams said there are more than 280 sex offenders at the Special Commitment Center and more than 400 DSHS employees who work on the island.

http://forums.prisonofficer.org/washington/6884-closure-mcneil-island-prison-table.html