Early-release offenders may get rent money

The state may soon be lending a financial hand to offenders who qualify for early release from prison.

The state Senate has passed a measure that would provide between $400 and $500 in rental vouchers each month for inmates who qualify for release but can't leave because they don't have an approved place to live.

Offenders would receive the vouchers for three months upon release.

By reducing the number of inmates held beyond their early-release date, the program would save the state around $1.4 million every two years, says the Office of Financial Management.

Last year the Department of Corrections (DOC) held 1,258 offenders past their early-release date for a variety of reasons, including a lack of living arrangements, community-safety issues or inability to cooperate with conditions.

Many inmates can reduce their sentences by a third by exhibiting good behavior in prison, but they must have an approved address. Some inmates who have served their maximum sentences are released regardless of whether they have approved housing.

"The last thing you want is for an unstable offender to be out on the streets," said bill sponsor Sen. Mike Carrell, R-Lakewood. He says the measure should save the state money while also enhancing public safety by placing inmates into stable housing.

A 2007 study for the DOC found that 69 percent of offenders who commit another crime after prison or jail did not have stable housing after their release.

"It's very forward-thinking," said Anna Aylward a DOC program administrator. "This program isn't foreign — this concept is done in other states in different ways."

Still, she has concerns. Aylward said she isn't sure there are enough vendors willing to house the offenders who would benefit from the program.

Several organizations support the bill, including the Washington State Coalition for the Homeless, Washington Defenders Association and the Washington Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers. No formal opposition to the bill has surfaced.

Chantal Anderson: 360-236-8169 or canderson@seattletimes.com