Washington Governor Fires Independent Prison Watchdog
On April 24, 2026, Washington Governor Bob Ferguson (D) fired the head of the state’s independent prison watchdog, the Office of the Corrections Ombuds (OCO). The office’s director Jeremiah Bourgeois was notified of an investigation into alleged ethical misconduct on April 20 of this year, after being ordered in a letter to cease all work and contact with OCO’s employees, according to The Seattle Times. He was initially placed on paid leave several days before his firing.
While on paid leave, Bourgeois denied the allegations, refused to follow restrictions during the investigation, and sent a defiant email to the governor’s office, in which he claimed Ferguson had “no authority to instruct me as to how I conduct my work.”
The OCO is a small agency that looks into problems in Washington prison. In recent years, the office has uncovered issues like improper use of pepper spray and delayed response to a suicide attempt at the Washington Corrections Center for Women at Gig Harbor. In 2024, the OCO released a report showing that prisoners held in solitary confinement across the state were not receiving basic quality-of-life care, such as showers and regular meals. The report also highlighted the use of “dehumanizing and traumatizing” restraint methods, including spit hoods and shock shields.
Bourgeois was appointed to his role by Ferguson in late 2025. He was imprisoned for 27 years and released in 2019. Later, he graduated from Gonzaga Law School and served on Washington’s Sentencing Guidelines Commission.
Ferguson’s administration cited accusations of unethical behavior as the primary reason for the misconduct investigation, including Bourgeois misusing a prison ID badge and creating a “toxic” workplace. Bourgeois, in response, said he would ignore the order to stop working. In LinkedIn posts on April 23, he added that it was his efforts to make the OCO less beholden to the state Department of Corrections that “apparently displeased” Ferguson.
The LinkedIn posts were cited in a termination letter delivered to Bourgeois the following day. Bourgeois, after being fired, relayed in a text message to The Seattle Times that he was “happy to have had this opportunity to serve the people of Washington. I did so with integrity.”
Sources: The Seattle Times, Washington State Standard
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