State Corrections Secretary Bernie Warner stepping down

Corrections Secretary Bernie Warner is stepping down after four years in charge of Washington’s system of prisons and offender supervision.

Warner plans to leave state employment Oct. 16 to work for a private prison operator, Utah-based Management and Training Corporation.

“I move on knowing we have dedicated staff, from senior leadership to the front line who will continue the important work of keeping our facilities and communities safe,” Warner told DOC employees in an email, according to the announcement Tuesday.

Former Gov. Chris Gregoire appointed Warner in 2011, and her fellow Democrat Jay Inslee re-appointed him when Inslee became governor in 2013.

A department spokesman said Warner’s departure has been in the works for months and isn’t related to this month’s backlash to the transfer of Green River killer Gary Ridgway to a Colorado prison. After consulting with Inslee, Warner announced Ridgway would return to Washington.

The Department of Corrections incarcerates roughly 17,000 people and supervises about the same number. It operates 12 prisons.

This story was originally published September 22, 2015 at 6:19 AM with the headline "State Corrections Secretary Bernie Warner stepping down."