She began her career in state government later than many, at age 40, but was appointed by Governor Jay Inslee to oversee three of the most high-profile agencies in state government: Western State Hospital in Steilacoom, the mammoth Department of Social and Health Services, and most recently the Washington State Department of Corrections.
Soon-to-depart Corrections Secretary Cheryl Strange sits down with host Austin Jenkins for an exit interview in which she discusses the challenges of leading a large state agency, working with Governor Inslee, trends in prison policy, and much more.
On her working relationship with Governor Inslee: “I think Governor Inslee was very interested in advancing behavioral health, mental health in our state. I mean under Governor Inslee we went from 48th in the nation of psychiatric services to 33rd, in a very short period of time under his leadership, that took a lot to do. My role was to help him, advise him, he had heard that I knew about mental health, and it really started with a conversation with him in Seattle about what was going on at Western…”
On the state’s success in reducing return to prison: “If you are going to take a bit out of crime, so to speak, then you have to replace it with something, you know. You have to have a liveable wage job, you have to have a place to live, you have to have access to health care…”
Other topics discussed: solitary confinement and suicide in prisons, formal closure of the “death chamber” at Walla Walla, and more.
