Washington Prison and Your Kids: What Families Face

I did not serve my time in Washington. I served 66 months in the federal system, at FCI Miami, and I want to say that plainly from the start. What I know about Washington comes from thirteen years of helping families navigate incarceration from the outside, not from a cell in any WA DOC facility.

Washington State is rolling out a significant improvement to how incarcerated individuals and their families stay in contact. Under a new Individual Technology Services contract with Securus Technologies, every eligible incarcerated individual in Washington's state prisons is receiving a tablet and, once fully implemented statewide, will receive two free 20-minute phone calls per week, some free video visits per month, and 55 free email stamps per month. Domestic phone call rates will drop by as much as 44%. This is not yet complete at all facilities, but the rollout is underway and the direction is toward lower costs and more access.

Two things that are already true and worth knowing right now.

First, Washington does not require families to register or apply to receive phone calls from an incarcerated individual. There is no approval process for receiving calls. If your number is not blocked, the incarcerated person can call you. This is unusual in the series -- most states require phone number registration. In Washington, the inmate calls out and the call comes through.

Second, the visitor application takes up to 45 business days to process -- roughly nine weeks. Do not submit more than one application; additional applications void the previous one and restart the timeline from scratch. Applications are electronic only (hard copies are rejected). Wait for the email notification of approval before making any travel plans.

Here is what I know about Washington, and here is what I know about the part that never changes.

What the Washington system looks like

The Washington State Department of Corrections -- WA DOC -- oversees the state's adult correctional facilities. The official website is doc.wa.gov. To search for an incarcerated person, use the WA DOC Incarcerated Search at doc.wa.gov/incarcerated-search. WA DOC headquarters: 7345 Linderson Way SW, Tumwater, WA 98501. Phone: 360-725-8213.

Washington's correctional facilities are spread across the state, from Monroe and Shelton in western Washington to Walla Walla and Airway Heights in the eastern part of the state. A family in Seattle with someone at Stafford Creek near Aberdeen is two and a half hours. A family in Seattle with someone at Washington State Penitentiary in Walla Walla is four and a half hours.

Phone: Securus Technologies holds the current phone contract for WA DOC. No registration or application is required to receive calls -- any number that is not blocked can receive calls. All calls are limited to 20 minutes (auto-disconnect). No 3-way calling or call forwarding permitted. All calls monitored and recorded. Securus Customer Care: 972-734-1111. For accounts and prepaid options: visit doc.wa.gov/visiting/phone-calls or the Securus website.

Under the new ITS contract being rolled out, incarcerated individuals will receive 2 free 20-minute phone calls per week.

Email/messaging: JPay system (via Securus). Electronic messages are distributed within 7 business days -- note that postal mail may reach incarcerated individuals faster for time-sensitive communication. VideoGrams (30-second video messages via the JPay email platform) are also available. Under the new ITS contract, individuals will receive 55 free email stamps per month.

Video visits: Securus Video Visitation. Under the new ITS contract, some free video visits per month.

Tablets: JPay Player tablets (JP5 classic or new Unity JP6 loaner tablets under new ITS contract). Media account funded through Securus Debit or JPay.

Mail: Personal mail goes directly to the specific facility. Address format: [Inmate Name, DOC Number] / [Facility Name] / [Facility PO Box or Street Address] / [City, State, Zip]. Confirm the specific facility address at doc.wa.gov. 4x6 photos are permitted. Do not mail stamps, paper, or similar items (commissary purchases). No cash or personal checks. All mail opened and inspected.

Money: Multiple options. JPay trust account at jpay.com or 1-800-574-5729. Western Union Quick Collect: Code City "WA DOC," State "WA," account number = DOC number followed by last name (no space). MoneyGram: receive code 7949. Cashier's check or money order also accepted. Securus Debit account is a separate account from the trust fund -- used for phone calls, stamps, and tablet media; funded directly through Securus.

Visitation: Electronic applications only (hard copies rejected). Processing takes up to 45 business days. Do NOT submit more than one application -- additional applications void the previous one and restart the timeline. You will be notified by email when your application is processed. Do not make travel arrangements until you receive approval. Minor visitor applications use DOC form 20-181 (completed by authorized adult over 13).

Washington also has an Extended Family Visit (EFV) program at some facilities -- extended multi-hour or overnight contact visits for qualifying families. See doc.wa.gov for EFV eligibility and application information.

Packages: One gift package per month (under 15 lbs) and quarterly food packages through Access SecurePak and Union Supply Direct. Books from publishers like Amazon are considered regular mail, not packages, and do not count against the package allowance.

Inmate search: doc.wa.gov/incarcerated-search.

WA DOC: doc.wa.gov. Phone: 360-725-8213. HQ: 7345 Linderson Way SW, Tumwater, WA 98501.

The children in it

Washington is a state with significant geographic spread between its population center (the Seattle metro area) and many of its correctional facilities. For a family in Seattle or Tacoma with someone at a facility in Walla Walla or Clallam Bay, the drive is four to five hours each way. For most western Washington families, though, at least one facility is within two hours.

What does not change based on the distance is what children carry.

My kids ranged from 9 to 20 when I went in. Six of them. What each age needed was different.

The youngest ones -- 9, 10, 11 -- cannot locate the explanation for a parent's absence anywhere except inside themselves. The private story they build almost always implicates them. You have to say the words on every call: this is not your fault. I love you. I am still your parent. In Washington, where the incarcerated person can call without the family registering, the call can start from the first day. Use it.

The middle-school ones are managing difference. A parent in prison makes them different from their peers. They need a parent who knows their actual day -- who asks about the teacher by name, who remembers what happened last week, who tracks their life. The JPay email is one more channel for that attention, even if it takes up to 7 days to arrive.

The teenagers see everything and will test whether you are real. A lecture from inside is the fastest way to lose them. Ask a genuine question. Listen to the full answer. Hold the opinions you cannot act on. The relationship is worth more than being right.

The young adults are choosing. What you do from inside is the only argument that counts.

What the outside parent carries

Washington's 45-business-day application processing time -- roughly nine weeks -- is the planning constraint that families need to hold from the very start. Submit the application the day you know where your person is. Don't submit a second application if you don't hear back quickly; that voids the first one and resets the clock entirely. Wait for the email.

The EFV program -- Extended Family Visits -- is worth knowing about. At qualifying facilities, approved families can have extended multi-hour or overnight visits. These are meaningful for children who need more than a 60-minute window at a table to feel connected to a parent. See doc.wa.gov for eligibility requirements and the application process.

My wife managed 66 months of the full logistics -- the accounts, the applications, the drives, the six children, the household -- without ever saying a word against me to our kids. She protected the relationship between me and our children as something worth saving. I came home to a family that still wanted me there because she made that choice every single time.

If you are that person in Washington right now -- submitting the visitor application (one, electronically, and then waiting), setting up JPay or Western Union for the trust fund, understanding the Securus Debit account for phone/media -- you are doing the work that holds the family together. From the outside it can feel like waiting. From the inside, it is everything.

The practical list for Washington families

Phone: Securus Technologies. No registration required to receive calls. 20-minute limit (auto-disconnect). No 3-way calling. Customer Care: 972-734-1111. Free calls (2/week) coming under new ITS rollout.

Email/messaging: JPay system. Messages distributed within 7 business days (slower than postal mail for urgency). VideoGrams: 30-second video via JPay email. 55 free stamps/month coming under new ITS rollout.

Video visits: Securus Video Visitation. Some free visits/month coming under new ITS rollout.

Tablets: JPay Player tablets (JP5 or new Unity JP6 under ITS). Media funded via Securus Debit or JPay.

Mail: Direct to specific facility (not a scanning center). [Inmate Name, DOC Number] / [Facility] / [Address]. 4x6 photos OK. No stamps, paper, or similar. No cash or personal checks. All mail inspected.

Money: JPay trust account (jpay.com / 1-800-574-5729). Western Union Quick Collect (Code City "WA DOC"; state "WA"; account = DOC number + last name, no space). MoneyGram receive code 7949. Cashier's check or money order also accepted. Securus Debit account (separate from trust fund -- for phone/stamps/media).

Visitation: Electronic application only (hard copies rejected). Up to 45 business days processing. Do NOT submit more than one application. Email notification when processed. No travel until approval received. Minor applications: DOC 20-181.

Extended Family Visits (EFV): Available at some facilities. Check doc.wa.gov for eligibility and application.

Packages: One monthly gift package (under 15 lbs) and quarterly food packages through Access SecurePak and Union Supply Direct. Books from publishers are regular mail (don't count as packages).

Inmate search: doc.wa.gov/incarcerated-search.

WA DOC: doc.wa.gov. Phone: 360-725-8213. HQ: 7345 Linderson Way SW, Tumwater, WA 98501.

Where this leaves you

Washington's new ITS contract with Securus is bringing lower phone rates, free weekly calls, free video visits, and free email stamps. The rollout is underway. Some families are already experiencing these benefits; others are waiting for their facility to come online.

What is already true: no registration required to receive phone calls. What needs to happen: visitor application (electronic only, once, then wait 9 weeks). What funds the trust fund: JPay or Western Union. What funds the Securus account: separately through Securus Debit.

The child in Washington waiting to hear from a parent in a WA DOC facility needs what every child needs: proof that the parent is still there. Washington allows the call without the family having to register first. Use that.

I came home from 66 months to a family that was still whole. Both sides kept building it from wherever they were. Whatever Washington places between you and the person you love, the building is still possible.

Do the work. It is the whole thing.

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