Inslee, DOC mark closure of Washington State Penitentiary execution chamber

Governor Jay Inslee and Department of Corrections officials on Friday marked the closure of the execution chamber at the Washington State Penitentiary, framing the event as a historic step in the state’s movement away from capital punishment.

"This is a historic day in the state of Washington," Governor Jay Inslee said, opening remarks that tied the ceremony to the tenth anniversary of his 2014 moratorium on executions. "Equal justice under law" and concerns about unequal administration of the death penalty were central to his remarks.

Inslee described multiple reasons for ending the state's use of the chamber, saying the penalty had been applied unevenly by geography and race. "Black men were 4 times as likely to be administered the death penalty than white citizens," he said, and he described a system in which nearly half of people sentenced to death had their cases later reversed.

The governor said he had consulted victims' families in reaching his decision and acknowledged a range of views among them, but emphasized the harm caused by decades of legal uncertainty for those families. "All of them had to go through a torturous experience of sometimes decades of uncertainty," he said.

An unidentified presenter at the ceremony summarized the legal timeline that led to the chamber's closure, noting the 2014 moratorium, a 2018 Washington State Supreme Court finding related to racial bias, and a 2023 law signed by the governor that formally abolished capital punishment in Washington.

Cheryl Strange, secretary of the Washington State Department of Corrections, thanked corrections staff for their service and described the operational history of what was once known as "5 Wing" or Death Row. Strange said the day was both somber and celebratory, noting the personal impact on staff who accompanied individuals sentenced to death through hearings and, in past cases, to executions.

Strange also said a plaque memorializing the chamber's closure was made by incarcerated individuals at the Olympic Correctional Center. "The quote from Governor Inslee on that plaque reads, 'when the ultimate decision is death, there is too much at stake to accept an imperfect system,'" she said. After the brief ceremony, attendees were offered a tour of the chamber.

Officials did not announce additional legislation or a formal vote at the event; the gathering was presented as a commemorative closure and a recognition of the state's recent policy changes.