My husband asked me to record a phone call—not to break a rule, but to protect his life. He was being openly threatened by DOC staff. His JP5 player had just been confiscated without cause. He feared what would happen next. That call was his only lifeline, and he needed someone outside the walls to bear witness. I recorded it to preserve the truth. Since then, he has suffered relentless retaliation: unwarranted cell searches, fabricated infractions, and the loss of basic human dignity. We've been stripped of video visits, emails, and special contact for a year. He's been denied commissary, hygiene, and store access—all because he tried to protect himself. Washington law criminalizes self-defense when it comes to recording. Incarcerated individuals are prohibited from documenting abuse—even when all parties consent and the threat is real. Meanwhile, DOC staff record and monitor calls freely, with no obligation to share those recordings or protect the person being harmed. This petition demands change. We call on lawmakers to amend Washington's recording laws and allow incarcerated individuals to record calls with full-party consent when facing harassment, abuse, or retaliation. Survivors deserve evidence. Families deserve transparency. The accused deserve protection.
To: Washington State Legislators, Department of Corrections Leadership, and Public Safety Committees
We, the undersigned families, advocates, and community members, demand urgent reform to Washington's recording laws to protect incarcerated individuals from retaliation, harassment, and abuse by Department of Corrections (DOC) staff.
Under current law (RCW 9.73.030 and RCW 9.73.095), incarcerated people are prohibited from recording their own phone calls—even when all parties consent and the purpose is to document abuse. Meanwhile, DOC staff are allowed to record and monitor calls freely, with no obligation to share those recordings or protect the individual being harmed.
This legal asymmetry silences survivors, shields abusers, and denies families the ability to protect their loved ones. It is especially dangerous in facilities like Airway Heights Correctional Center, where retaliation during monitored calls is routine and well-documented.
These conditions are worsened by the lack of oversight, inadequate training, and unaddressed mental health instability among DOC staff, which fuels punitive and retaliatory behavior. Without reform, the system continues to empower those who harm and punish those who speak out.
We Demand:
1. Amend Washington's recording laws to allow incarcerated individuals to record phone calls with full-party consent when documenting harassment or abuse.
2. Create a protected evidentiary exception for recordings made in good faith to expose retaliation, threats, or misconduct.
3. Mandate timely access to DOC call recordings for incarcerated individuals and their legal representatives when abuse is alleged.
4. Establish independent oversight of DOC call monitoring and retaliation complaints.
Why This Matters:
• Incarcerated people deserve the right to protect themselves.
• Families deserve transparency and safety during calls.
• Legal teams deserve access to evidence.
• Washington must not criminalize self-defense or silence survivors.
• DOC staff must be held accountable for retaliatory behavior rooted in systemic dysfunction.
Let us record. Let us protect. Let us be heard.
