Washington state prison watchdog put on leave; accuses governor's office of retaliation

Jim Brunner, The Seattle Times on Apr 24, 2026

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SEATTLE — Gov. Bob Ferguson's office has put the head of the state's independent prison watchdog on paid leave as it investigates allegations of ethical misconduct.

Jeremiah Bourgeois, the director of the Office of the Corrections Ombuds, was notified of the probe in an April 20 letter from Franklin Plaistowe, the chief operating officer for the governor's office.

Plaistowe told Bourgeois he will be assigned to home duty and paid during the investigation, ordering him to halt all work and contact with the office's employees until it is complete.

Bourgeois denies the allegations and accuses the governor's office of retaliating against him and undermining the independence of the ombud's office — including blocking the hiring of key employees.

He rejected Plaistowe's orders in a defiant email that he shared with The Seattle Times, writing that the governor's office had no authority to instruct me as to how I conduct my work."

The blow up is an escalation of behind-the-scenes tensions that have percolated for months in the Office of the Corrections Ombuds, a small state agency that investigates problems in state prisons, such as shoddy medical care that has led to deaths and expensive lawsuits.

Bourgeois knows the prison system well. He spent 27 years locked up after getting a life sentence at age 14 for fatally shooting a minimart owner in 1992. He was released in 2019 after legal reforms rescinded mandatory life without parole sentences for people convicted of murder as juveniles.

He graduated from Gonzaga Law School and was appointed to the state's Sentencing Guidelines Commission. His life has been held up in news articles and tributes as a story of redemption.

Ferguson quietly appointed Bourgeois director of the ombuds office late last year.

It has not gone smoothly.

In the letter this week, Plaistowe said Bourgeois has been accused of an array of personnel and ethical violations, including misusing a prison ID badge and state vehicle and awarding a contract to a friend, keeping it at under $10,000 to avoid review.

Plaistowe also wrote that Bourgeois allegedly created a "toxic" workplace with disrespectful and unprofessional comments to staff and retaliated against employees who reported concerns.

Since Bourgeois' appointment Nov. 15, four ombuds office employees have resigned, and three have gone on "protected medical leave, citing a hostile and toxic work environment …" Plaistowe noted.

An online roster of staff for the office lists only 11 total employees, including Bourgeois.

"While this investigation is active, you will be assigned to your home. Your only responsibility during this home assignment is to be available by telephone during your normal work schedule hours," Plaistowe wrote in the letter, which Bourgeois also provided to The Seattle Times.

Plaistowe added that Bourgeois was barred from making contact with ombud's staff or going into the office, and he could be fired if he violated the directive.

Brionna Aho, a spokesperson for Ferguson's office, confirmed the letter's authenticity but had no immediate comment, saying the office generally does not discuss personnel matters.

Bourgeois, in his response to Plaistowe, said he intends to ignore the home assignment order and would "continue to perform my job duties" as he saw fit. "I question whether you have the authority to instigate the ersatz investigation of untruthful and exaggerated charges that you have initiated," he added.

In interviews with The Seattle Times, Bourgeois questioned the timing of the investigation, and said the governor's office has wrongfully interfered with his ability as an independent watchdog to hire employees and push for more robust scrutiny of the prison system.

"All of it is unsettling and alarming and illustrates what I have been experiencing as director of this agency since the very beginning," he said Thursday.

Bourgeois has been trying for months to bring George Fearing, a retired Court of Appeals judge, on board to help with his efforts. But he said the governor's office has repeatedly sought to cancel or delay the hiring.

Fearing, in an interview, confirmed he'd been asked by Bourgeois, who was his law clerk for two years, to take a part-time job with the ombud's office.

"I have high regard for Jeremiah and I want to help him if he thinks I can help him," he said, adding that state law gives Bourgeois the authority to hire who he wants, without seeking permission from the governor.

Bourgeois aired some of his conflict with the governor's office publicly on Thursday, announcing in a post on LinkedIn that his efforts to make the Office of the Corrections Ombuds less "beholden" to the Department of Corrections had "apparently displeased" the governor's office.

"In spite of resistance, Director Bourgeois will continue to perform his job duties as he deems to be in the best interest of OCO, Washington State Department of Corrections, incarcerated individuals and state of Washington, he wrote.