OLYMPIA, Wash. -- According to a press release from the Department of Corrections (DOC) they have requested that the state Department of Health review drug-dispensing practices within the state prison system to ensure that inmate medications are being appropriately prescribed and controlled.

An investigative report on KIRO 7 Eyewitness News recently quoted a former DOC employee who charged that DOC was over prescribing painkillers. KIRO Investigators also produced figures showing variations in the amounts of painkillers prescribed at certain prisons.

A DOC evaluation of the figures concluded that at least some of the variation could be explained by specific circumstances at each prison. For example, Monroe Correctional Complex had a higher number of offenders receiving pain killers, but it also has the state prison system's largest infirmary and treats a higher number of more seriously ill inmates.

The review is intended to advise DOC on its drug procedures and to recommend changes in operating procedures if those seem warranted. Neither DOC Secretary Harold Clarke nor Department of Health Secretary Mary Selecky consider the review to be a formal investigation involving prescription drugs. However, if significant problems were discovered during the review, the Health Department might initiate formal action.

The Department of Health review will look at prescription practices related to two broad categories of medications-narcotic painkillers and psychotropic drugs, which are used to treat a variety of mental health disorders.