State Sen. Darneille Steps Down For DOC’s Women’s Prison Division

TACOMA, WA — State Senator Jeannie Darneille (D-Tacoma) is stepping down from her position at the state legislature to take on a new role as the Assistant Secretary of DOC’s Women’s Prison Division.

Darneille represented the 27th Legislative District, covering most of northern Tacoma, for more than two decades. During that time, the Department of Corrections says Darneille has been a leading voice in the state for juvenile and criminal justice reforms, and served as a chair of the Senate Human Services, Reentry & Rehabilitation Committee, where she fought to improve child welfare, and reduce racial disparity in Washington's criminal legal systems.

Darneille was also behind a 2019 bill which stopped the state from jailing children for noncriminal offenses, like running away from home or skipping school, Crosscut reported.

Department of Corrections Secretary Cheryl Strange hand-picked Darnelle for the position, and says Darneille's history fighting for reform will be a perfect fit for the brand-new Women's Prison Division.

“I am extremely excited about the opportunity to bring someone to DOC with Senator Darneille’s proven record on correctional issues. Our work will be strengthened by her commitment and deep understanding of issues affecting incarcerated individuals and the staff who work to support their care and custody,” Strange said. “Senator Darneille knows the subject matter from her years of work, and the view from her lens can only help improve our operations as we develop one of the first Women’s Prison Divisions in the nation.”

In a letter to colleagues explaining her decision to accept her new role, Darneille said the position was an opportunity she could not pass up.

"The opportunity to launch the new Women’s Prison Division at the Department of Corrections is a rare transition in the life of a legislator," Darneille wrote. "I will have the unique opportunity to continue my work in criminal justice reform while pivoting to lead this transformative new division.”

As Assistant Secretary, Darneille will help develop the fledgling Women's Prison Division. The division was first announced in late July, and aims to "better address the unique needs of our female incarcerated population."

“We know a lot more now than we did years ago when our practices were designed,” Strange said in statement announcing the division's formation. “Serving the specific needs of women have posed unique challenges for our prison operations and we can change that.”

Darneille will vacate her position in the legislature sometime later this fall. Though her four-year Senate term began just this January, her position will be only be filled by an interim appointee through the November 2022 election, when voters can pick a more permanent replacement. The temporary appointee will be chosen by the Pierce County Council, who will pick from a list of three names submitted by the 27th district's Democratic Precinct Committee Officers.