During a regular meeting on Thursday, August 24, Ridgefield City Council unanimously approved a resolution strongly urging the Department of Corrections to reverse the decision to close Larch Correctional Center (LCC) near Yacolt. Ridgefield adds to the growing list of local governments, including the City of Battle Ground, City of La Center and Clark County, in opposition to the planned closure.
LCC has played a vital role in Clark County as a center of employment, providing wildfire response, and through the labor of inmate crews working directly in our communities. In Ridgefield, inmate crews have provided almost 11,000 hours of work, saving the city $434,880 since 2018 assisting with roadside garbage pick-up, park/trail/roadway vegetation management, and storm facility and rain garden maintenance.
“The residents of Ridgefield have benefited greatly from work completed by inmate crews that couldn’t have been completed by City Public Works crews alone, and LCC inmates have benefited from the opportunity to work in and positively enhance communities in the region they are from,” said Jennifer Lindsay, Mayor of Ridgefield.
Inmate work crews are one part of the retraining and education program in place at LCC which has greatly reduced repeated offenses. The loss of this valuable service will be felt throughout our community should LCC be closed.
Read the Resolution