Washington Corrections Secretary Stephen Sinclair announces his retirement
After serving in the U.S. Army and spending another 30 years with the Washington state Department of Corrections, Corrections Secretary Stephen Sinclair is retiring.
Sinclair announced his retirement Tuesday morning. It will be effective May 1.
“Serving as Secretary has been humbling, and an incredible honor to lead this department for the past four years,” Sinclair said.
“The last couple of years, our focus has been on reform and I’m so thankful to have such an amazing group of leaders in this agency, who I am confident will continue this important work. I am so proud of this department and the staff who have made our department the leader in corrections it is.”
Sinclair led the department’s efforts to fight against COVID-19 in the state’s prisons and other correctional facilities.
But the corrections facilities, like the communities around them, have dealt with an onslaught of cases. Stafford Creek near Aberdeen and Airway Heights near Spokane have been hit the hardest. Stafford Creek has had more than 1,000 cases among inmates since the start of the pandemic, and four have died; 80 staff members have contracted the virus and one has died. Airway Heights has seen more than 1,600 inmate cases and two deaths, and more than 200 cases among staff.
“I thank Steve for his years of service with the agency, where he began as a correctional officer and subsequently worked his way up to several positions of leadership,” Inslee said in a statement.
“Over the years he has led on a variety of issues from establishing programs that help keep people from re-offending, reducing violence in facilities, increasing staff retention, establishing systems for stronger fiscal management and advocating for sustainable practices.”
This story was originally published January 27, 2021 at 5:45 AM.
