Detained over reoffense concerns on McNeil Island, some face victimization

This segment includes discussion about sexual assault.

Washington state’s Special Commitment Center sits on McNeil Island in the Puget Sound. It’s operated by the Washington Department of Health and Social Services and houses about 150 people who were detained or committed there – sometimes for decades – after they committed acts of sexual violence. 

It isn’t a criminal facility, but a civil one. There used to be a prison on the island but that closed in 2011.

Today, many of the people at the facility on McNeil have developmental or other disabilities. They’re supposed to be receiving sex offender treatment. Some lack the ability to understand that treatment or the implications of their actions.  

While the state keeps people on McNeil Island for fear they will re-offend, some people at the center have become victims of sexual assault while under state care. 

A recent investigation by the Seattle Times looked at so-called vulnerable adults at the Special Commitment Center and how the state decides who warrants protection when someone is both a perpetrator and victim. 

Guest:

Rebecca Moss, investigative reporter at the Seattle Times who writes about McNeil Island in a series called “Uncommitted”

Relevant Links:

The Seattle Times: For 23 years, WA has detained a man for a crime he can’t understand

The Seattle Times: Behind The Seattle Times’ investigation into McNeil Island abuses