CLE Seminar Speaker

Eldon Vail

Eldon Vail serves as the Deputy Secretary of Washington's Department of Corrections, directly responsible for the operational management of the Office of Correctional Operations. This office consists of 8 major facilities, 6 minimum facilities, and 1 assisted living facility.

Also included are 15 work release facilities and community supervision field offices scattered throughout the state of Washington.

The Office of Correctional Operations includes the functions of Correctional Industries, institutional services, community corrections and offender programs with a combined annual budget of over half a billion, employing over 8000 employees.

A graduate from The Evergreen State College in Olympia, Washington, Eldon began his corrections career in 1974 as a Youth Counselor, responsible for casework, counseling and security.

The following years brought him into increasingly demanding positions such as Correctional Unit Supervisor in 1979, Acting Associate Superintendent in 1987, Superintendent of Washington's only all-women's facility in 1989, and Superintendent of McNeil Island Corrections Center in 1992.

In 1994 Mr. Vail worked as an Assistant Director of the Division of Prisons at Washington's DOC Headquarters -- promoting to Deputy Secretary of the Office of Correctional Operations in 1999.

Main challenges include meeting the demands of an increasing offender population; responding to the diverse needs of special offender populations such as the elderly, mentally disordered, and youthful offenders; managing risk in the communities; responding to increasing liability arising from case law related to community supervision; emergency response; and balancing the budget.