Episode 10 takes a deeper look into a place that most people in Washington know exists but rarely think about. McNeil Island has a long history and a complicated reputation, yet it also represents one of the biggest missed opportunities in our state. In this episode, I talk about the role McNeil Island once played, how it ended up in the condition it is in today, and why bringing it back could change the entire conversation around public safety, rehabilitation, and accountability.
This is not a political episode and it is not about blaming anyone for the island’s decline. It is about looking at the facts and recognizing that Washington already has a rare asset that could become one of the most effective, secure and well managed correctional environments in the country if we made the decision to rebuild it. The island is isolated, already structured for correctional use, and capable of being modernized into something that actually works instead of relying on overcrowded facilities and outdated systems.
I walk through the potential, the challenges, and the future that people never seem to talk about. McNeil Island could be more than a historical footnote. It could be a turning point if we chose to see it that way.
Hope is not gone. Not for McNeil Island, and not for Washington, if we are willing to rethink what is possible.