Cory Briar, Alexandra Johnson - June 2025

The 2023 Washington State Legislature tasked WSIPP with investigating the cost of conservation district (CD) supervisor elections under current law and two alternative policies that would place these elections on the general ballot. WSIPP was also directed to evaluate the potential non-monetary impacts of these alternative policies. To conduct this study, we collected data from all 45 CDs in Washington to summarize election costs, funding, and turnout under current law. We surveyed CD supervisors and staff about the potential impacts of the alternative policies. This final report covers our analysis of CD supervisor elections under current law and the potential monetary and non-monetary impacts of two alternative policies specified in the legislative assignment.

Under current law, CDs vary widely in the cost of their elections. From 2020–2024, total election costs ranged from a low of $50 to nearly $422,000, with a median of $2,500. CDs fund their elections in a number of ways, including state funding, flat per-parcel fees charged at the county level, or the overhead portion of grants they receive to conduct conservation programming. Turnout in CD elections is very low, with only one CD having more than 1% of its eligible voters cast ballots between 2020 and 2024.

We find that both of the alternative election policies would lead to drastic increases in election costs for most CDs. The first policy, which places CD elections on the general ballot, would have resulted in a median election cost increase of 225% per biennium from 2020–2024. This would increase to a 651% increase if primaries were required. The second policy would additionally change elections such that supervisors run for one of five zones within a CD. This policy would have been less costly but would still have led to a median cost increase of 75% over current law (338% with primaries).

CD supervisors and staff communicated that they expected more non-monetary costs than benefits to result from the alternative policies. Many districts shared that the policies could lead to more turnout in elections and engagement with CDs, but some questioned whether this would lead to increased engagement with CDs. Most districts feared the policies would lead to increased politicization of CDs and fewer resources being devoted to conservation programming.

Cory Briar, Benjamin MacCormack-Gelles - June 2025

The 2022 Legislature directed WSIPP to conduct a study of the needs of farmworkers in Washington state. WSIPP was specifically tasked with interviewing or surveying farmworkers about their experiences in agricultural work in the state, reviewing the research literature on the efficacy of programs and policies to meet farmworker needs, and describing the collaboration between state and federal agencies in delivering services to farmworkers. A preliminary report was published in December of 2023.

This final report presents the results of a survey of 202 farmworkers in the state. Respondents were asked about workplace health and safety, experiences with hours and pay, use of government services, harassment and retaliation, and accessing food, housing, and healthcare. In line with past research at the national level, farmworkers in Washington reported frequently working in heat and smoke and with pesticides. A significant share of respondents also stated challenges with obtain consistent housing and food, and 40% stated that they did not have insurance. Other key takeaways from responses include:

• More than half of respondents said employers do not consistently adjust work to excessive heat or smoke.
• English speakers were more likely to receive safety-related training and equipment.
• Nearly half of farmworkers reported using government services, and 69% of those that did sought help from a community organization or figure.
• 43% of H-2A workers report struggling to find housing and food “every week” despite being guaranteed both by their visa status.
• Having health insurance is associated with greater use of preventative healthcare and less use of emergency services.

State and federal agencies coordinate enforcing policies and delivering programs to farmworkers. Federal agency personnel relayed that Washington is one of the most effective states in providing services and protections to farmworkers. Washington State agency personnel reported good working relationships with staff at other agencies but also communicated that a lack of formal processes for collaboration, such as shared data bases to coordinate responses to complaints and incidents, hampers coordination.

The research literature on policies and programs to help meet farmworker needs emphasizes the importance of state- and community-led initiatives to support the specific regional needs of farmworkers.

Rebecca Goodvin, Julia Cramer - June 2025

The 2024 Legislature directed WSIPP to study breast cancer-related programming for American Indian and Alaska Native (AIAN) women in Washington’s peer states. The legislature specified breast cancer prevention and education programs and post-diagnosis resource and support programs led by states, tribes, or collaborations between states and tribes. In addition, the legislature directed WSIPP to review evidence for identified programs.

We conducted outreach to program representatives across nine peer states. Limited access to screening and treatment, as well as mistrust and cultural barriers, may discourage AIAN women from seeking preventive care and follow-up treatment. All states and some tribes or indigenous-led organizations receive federal grants for breast cancer outreach, education, and screening for low-income, uninsured, or underinsured women. State programs vary in how grants are used to reach AIAN communities. We identified few state- or tribal-led organizations with post-diagnosis supports or resources for AIAN women. Some organizations offer treatment navigation, access to traditional native medicine, or programs to honor breast cancer survivors. The evaluation literature largely supports the effectiveness of identified prevention and post-diagnosis activities; however, there is limited population-specific research on the health outcomes of these interventions with AIAN women.

Travis Taniguchi, Alexandra Johnson, Leah Hardenbergh - June 2025

Law Enforcement Assisted Diversion (LEAD) was originally developed in Seattle to divert people away from the criminal legal system before they were booked into jail. In 2019, state funding was provided to expand LEAD into four pilot communities. In 2021, additional funding was provided through the Recovery Navigator Program (RNP) to expand pre-booking diversion statewide. Both LEAD and RNP seek to connect people with housing and mental and substance use disorder treatment to address underlying issues that drive frequent interactions with law enforcement. This report describes the state of LEAD and RNP implementation, barriers to achieving higher fidelity to core principles of pre-arrest diversion, the use of technical support from the LEAD National Support Bureau (LSB), and a benefit-cost analysis.

To address these topics, we conducted 60 interviews with 91 people involved in the diversion process, reviewed administrative data collected by the LSB, and conducted a systematic literature review, meta-analysis, and benefit-cost analysis. Results suggested that LEAD and RNP programs face considerable challenges in implementing pre-booking diversion. Major barriers include limited buy-in from criminal legal system professionals, insufficient capacity and funding, and lack of necessary resources such as housing and substance use disorder treatment. Clarifying the relationship between LEAD core principles and RNP uniform standards, facilitating technical assistance, and implementing improved data-sharing technologies would help to improve program fidelity and clarify uncertainty among diversion system actors. The benefit-cost analysis suggested that for every $1 invested in these programs, $7.39 in benefits was returned.

Rebecca Goodvin, Paige Wanner, Helen Ippolito, Alex Patel, Heather Grob - December 2024

The 2023 Legislature directed WSIPP to update the Adult Corrections Inventory, focusing on programs for incarcerated individuals in prison facilities. For this inventory, we reviewed and synthesized the research evidence for a variety of programs aimed at reducing recidivism and improving other outcomes for this population. This update prioritizes adding programs offered by Washington’s Department of Corrections (DOC). This is the second update to the Adult Corrections Inventory first published in 2013.

The accompanying report describes our standard process for evaluating and classifying research evidence and the reasons that program classifications may change in the current iteration of the inventory. Programs that are new to the inventory, updated with current evidence, or change classification due to benefit-cost model updates are identified in the report. Additionally, this report summarizes information about likely program effects on recidivism for all DOC facility programs included in the inventory.

Find previous versions of the inventory with the following links: 2013 Inventory; 2018 Inventory.

Rebecca Goodvin, Julia Cramer - December 2024

WSIPP receives funding from the legislature to conduct research on K-12 education topics. This report focuses on Career and Technical Education skill centers and their students. Skill centers are regional secondary schools that serve students across multiple school districts and provide programs that are too expensive or specialized for school districts to operate individually.

In this report, we describe skill center programming and explore questions regarding access. We find that approximately 86% of Washington’s students reside in districts with access to a skill center. Students in districts without access are evenly split between rural and urban locales. Only 3% of high school students enrolled in a skill center course in AY 2023, and skill center directors reported that demand exceeds availability for a majority of their programs.

Additionally, we summarize data on skill center students’ graduation rates and their post-secondary and labor market outcomes over a five-year period following high school. Across the 2013 through 2023 graduation cohorts, most skill center students (80%) earned a high school diploma. Less than 40% have earned a post-secondary credential five years after graduation, but nearly 70% are employed over that time frame. Only 10% of skill center students are not in education or employment five years after graduation.

Corey Whichard, Morgan Spangler, Leah Hardenbergh - December 2024

The 2023 Legislature directed WSIPP to conduct a study of local jails and juvenile detention centers (JDCs). The study had three objectives: 1) identify changes in population characteristics between 2010 and 2022; 2) learn about staffing shortages, facility conditions, available services, costs, and funding sources through a survey of local facilities; and 3) examine the availability of Criminal Justice Training Commission (CJTC) classes for correctional officers.

The current study has three components. First, we used administrative data from 2010-2022 to examine trends in the characteristics of all individuals who were admitted to jail and JDCs for at least 24 hours. We observed decreases in the number of admissions and the percentage of individuals detained for drug crime, along with increases in the percentage of mental health disorders and individuals detained for violent crime.

Second, we collected and analyzed survey data from 56 institutions (35 jails, 21 JDCs) that operate 64 facilities. To our knowledge, our respondent pool represents all local detention facilities across Washington. Among other findings, most respondents reported that their institution struggles to recruit and retain correction officers, resulting in persistent staffing shortages. In addition, the average facility has been in operation for 35 years. Most respondents indicated their facility needs extensive repair.

Finally, we examined the availability of CJTC courses using administrative records and survey data. Although state law mandates that new recruits complete training within six months of being hired as a correctional officer, evidence suggests that CJTC courses are not offered frequently enough to keep up with demand. As a result, new recruits have been waiting 6-12 months before enrolling. Survey results indicate that most respondents are dissatisfied with the availability of CJTC courses.

Cory Briar, Alexandra Johnson - November 2024

The 2023 Washington State Legislature directed WSIPP to study the costs of conservation district (district) supervisor elections under current law and several alternative policies that would move elections to be held under the statute for general elections and other special purpose districts. WSIPP was also tasked with investigating potential non-monetary costs and benefits of these alternative policies.

This preliminary report provides a background on districts in Washington and an overview of their current election processes. We describe our efforts to collect election cost data from all conservation districts in the state. We have also assembled data on historical election turnout from the Washington State Conservation Commission (SCC) and have obtained general election cost data for each county from the Office of the Secretary of State.

The final report, which will be published in June 2025, will include our analysis of the costs of elections in each district and will estimate costs under each alternative policy specified in the study assignment. It will also contain a qualitative analysis of the potential non-monetary costs and benefits of each alternative policy based on feedback from district personnel, SCC, and other stakeholders. This preliminary report describes our plan for those analyses.

Travis Taniguchi - October 2024

In Washington, reentry navigators work with individuals after they leave prison and enter a period of community custody. These navigators refer individuals to supportive services, rehabilitation programs, and potential employers. With funding from the Department of Justice, the Washington State Department of Corrections (DOC) is exploring the impact of equipping community reentry navigators with lists of verified service providers. The intent of the verified provider list (VPL) is to improve upon historical practices by creating a provider directory that is more comprehensive, accurate, and up to date. The VPL was implemented in four reentry centers in two counties; three reentry centers serving three additional counties serve as comparison locations. With approval from WSIPP’s Board of Directors, the DOC contracted with WSIPP to conduct an evaluation of the VPL.

In this preliminary report, we describe the providers that are included on the VPL; describe characteristics of people that are assigned to treatment and comparison reentry facility; and explore how the VPL changes engagement with service providers measured through the number of referrals, the length of time until first referral, and the length of time until first engagement.

There was evidence that the VPL was working as intended. Reentry navigators in areas with access to the VPL provided more referrals and provided those referrals more quickly. On average, the first referral was 30 days faster in treatment reentry centers (20 days) versus comparison reentry centers (51 days).

A final evaluation, including exploring program impacts on recidivism, was originally planned to be published in December 2025. This contract was extended, and a final report will be published by June 30, 2026.

Julia Cramer, Colin Gibson - October 2024

In 2021, the Washington State Legislature directed WSIPP to produce a series of reports to “understand whether participation in postsecondary education (PSE) while incarcerated contributes to greater enrollment and completion of postsecondary education and reduced recidivism post release.” This first report examines the association between participation in PSE programs in adult prisons and enrollment and completion in community and technical colleges (CTC) in Washington after release.

The Washington State Department of Corrections (DOC) and the Washington State Board for Community and Technical Colleges (SBCTC) have long collaborated to provide most of the education programming in prisons. In this report, we focus on DOC-SBCTC contracted PSE programs, which include workforce training or academic programs that lead to a vocational certificate, workforce associate degree, direct transfer associate degree, or bachelor's degree.

We find that participation in PSE in prison is associated with a higher likelihood of enrolling in a CTC after release. However, among PSE participants and non-participants who went on to enroll in a CTC after release from prison, there were no differences between their retention rates, GPAs, accumulated credits, or probability of credential receipt. When considering overall credential receipt during and after incarceration, though, PSE participants were more likely to hold a credential than non-participants.

A final report in October 2027 will expand upon this report, examining how recent changes to postsecondary correctional education in prisons have influenced post-release education outcomes and recidivism.