People in WA prisons get access to 988 mental health crisis hotline

People incarcerated in Washington prisons now have access to the state's 988 mental health crisis hotline.

The expansion of the free 24-hour line, which launched in 2022 and puts callers in touch with a trained crisis counselor, fills an important gap in the state's efforts to prevent suicide.

Incarcerated people make up about 1% of the state's suicides, but many of these deaths are preventable: State data shows that 39% of incarcerated Washingtonians who die by suicide had a known mental health concern. Overdoses and suicides are also leading causes of unexpected deaths in Washington prisons, officials said.

"Every death by suicide in one of our prisons is a tragedy," Washington State Department of Corrections Secretary Tim Lang said in a statement. Making 988 available to people in prison, he said, is part of a broader move toward "behavioral health equity within our correctional system."

Before the expansion, Washingtonians in prison weren't allowed to dial any three-digit numbers, including 911.

Incarcerated people can now dial 988 through prison phones and tablets. Although the line is confidential, officials said hotline counselors are trained to contact prisons and get immediate support for incarcerated callers who are at an imminent risk of hurting themselves.

Washington was one of the first states to roll out the three-digit line, which is funded by a combination of state and federal dollars. The line can connect callers with community-specific counselors, including those who specialize in care for veterans, people who are deaf or hard of hearing, Spanish speakers, and American Indians and Alaska Natives.

Washington is among the states using the line the most. Nationally, new research suggests the line is working, at least among certain groups.

Suicide deaths were 11% lower than expected among people ages 15 to 23 in the first 2½ years after the national line launched in 2022, according to an April study in JAMA. Washington offered a specialized 988 crisis support line for LGBTQ+ youth until the federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration shut down that call option in 2025.

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This story was originally published May 12, 2026 at 4:51 PM.