Airway Heights Corrections Center
Airway Heights Corrections Center (AHCC) is located approximately ten miles west of Spokane. It has the capacity to house 2,258 medium, minimum, and long-term minimum custody incarcerated men. Class II operations at AHCC are as follows:
The centralized commissary is one of two distribution centers that employ incarcerated individuals who process, pick, package and distribute orders. The commissary serves the incarcerated populations at five facilities. The commissary offers approximately 420 products and processes approximately 20,000 orders per month with an average pick rate of 16 seconds per order.
The distribution warehouse provides a range of services including shipping and receiving, re-stocking shelves, handling and storage of frozen manufactured goods and purchased raw material, order picking and inventory management for food manufacturing group and other facility operations. Incarcerated workers can earn certificates of proficiency in data entry and material handling. Day-to-day work varies, but often includes purchase order processing, shipping, and receiving, operating forklifts and electric and manual pallet jacks to load and unload trailers. Incarcerated workers load and unload an average of 17 trailers per day. Material handlers who meet specific criteria can be certified as a forklift and powered industrial truck operator by staff certified instructors.
CI is the primary source of food production for Washington’s prison system, manufacturing millions of individual frozen meals and bakery products annually to feed approximately 15,000 incarcerated individuals three times per day. Our food manufacturing plant falls under the Regulatory guidelines of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), ensuring manufactured products meet industry standards and are safe for all consumers. We satisfy USDA regulations for which they certify our finished meat products to depict the official USDA Inspection mark, commonly referred to as the “Shield.” We also require all vendors supplying us animal protein items to maintain USDA compliance certifications. USDA oversight consists of an independent inspector working daily, on-site to observe operations and provide feedback to the CI incarcerated workers and staff.
The food manufacturing plant also falls under jurisdiction of the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the Washington State Department of Agriculture (WSDA) and the local County Health District, all of which randomly monitor (inspect) our operations for health and food safety compliance and conformance to code regulations. In addition to always meeting sanitation requirements, we are in full compliance with the FDA Food Safety Modernization Act and we have developed an FDA recognized food defense plan, which has check points in place to ensure the food products we use are kept safe throughout the manufacturing process. The goal of which is to assure our food products are safe for our customers and the operations are safe for our workforce. One of the ways we do this by meeting all industry standard guidelines which also include OSHA and CDC recommendations for operations surrounding COVID-19.
Additionally, we are certified to manufacture and process Halal food products and as such we fall under the guidelines of The American Halal Foundation for Halal food processing.
CI maintains a Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP) program designed to ensure ongoing compliance with all food safety industry standards. In practical terms, CI ensures the work environment is safe, the food is maintained under strict temperature controls, there are routine food and environmental testing (for harmful bacteria), we conduct regular deep cleaning and provide ongoing worker training to ensure everyone benefits from our program.
Incarcerated workers learn valuable general office skills. They perform as helper-production workers, planning and expediting clerks, packaging, and filling machine operator and tender, inspector, tester, sorter, sampler and weigher, janitor, and cleaners, and can earn certificates of proficiency in these areas.
CI food service represents one of five food service operations under CI management. CI food services vertically integrates with CI's food factory production by serving CI produced foods accompanied by non-CI produced products. The centralization of purchasing and use of a statewide standard 4-week cycle menu has stabilized facility food service budgets. The 4-week cycle menu provides for nationally recommended allowances for basic nutrition, which are reviewed annually by dietitian, and are aligned with the Dietary Guidelines for Americans (DGA’s). While working for CI food services, incarcerated workers receive a full scope of food service skills and can earn ServSafe® food manager certification, a nationally recognized food safety certification. CI food services operates two shifts, seven days per week.
Laundry
The laundry processes on average 120 thousand pounds of linen and clothing per month, which equates to 1.4 million pounds per year. Incarcerated workers can earn certificates of proficiency in various laundry skills. Individuals meeting specific criteria can attain Association of Linen Management certifications as Washroom Technicians and/or Linen Technicians.
CI’s optical supervisors oversee incarcerated workers and the production of 500-600 pairs of eyewear daily. CI provides optical laboratory services to over 600 Medicaid vision care providers throughout Washington who serve Medicaid clients under the age of 21. Low-cost adult eyewear is also available for qualified adults through eligible providers. CI employs two licensed dispensing opticians who visit Department of Corrections facilities throughout the state to fit incarcerated individuals with prescription eyewear. Incarcerated individuals who do not meet minimum qualifications to receive state provided eyewear may purchase low-cost eyewear directly through CI. CI Optical partners with some Lions Clubs throughout the state to assist in their recycling eyewear efforts.
Site Services
The business office provides services that include site accounting, customer service, purchasing, sales and marketing, inventory management and site strategic planning for all the local shops. Incarcerated workers perform data entry in financial, customer care, purchasing, accounts payable and receivable, as well as inventory assistance. They can earn certificates of proficiency in office, administration, records keeping along with other various skills.
The textile operation manufactures a variety of textiles items as well as screen printing and embroidery. CI supplies DOC with clothing and property bags. Under state contract, CI provides Washington State Department of Transportation (DOT) with ANSI Certified High Visibility Safety Garments. Individuals learn valuable skills as sewers, sewing machine mechanics, press operators, embroidery machine operators, graphics design, digitizing and quality control specialists, and can earn certificates of proficiency in these areas.
Transportation
The distribution warehouse provides a range of transportation services including frozen and refrigerated transportation and delivery of commissary and food manufacturing goods and services to external and internal customers to WA DOC facility operations, police departments, jails, and other non-profit organizations. Incarcerated workers can earn certificates of proficiency in shipping and material handling. Day-to-day work varies, but often includes fueling and monitoring appropriate shipping refrigerated and frozen temperature-controlled trailers. Incarcerated workers load and unload an average of 20 trailers per day. Material handlers who meet specific criteria can be certified as a forklift operator by staff certified instructors.