“Social outings" are a simple concept, but controversial.

Social outings are when some inmates, nearing the end of their incarceration, get a chance to integrate back into society a little early. They travel outside their Department of Corrections lock-up for the day with friends or family, then, must return by evening.

The inmates love it, but crime victims are outraged; saying these outings are a disaster waiting to happen

Investigative Reporter Chris Halsne and producer Bill Benson requested thousands of public records on these trips to get an idea of who qualifies and where they go. We reviewed three months’ worth of approved trip requests at three Seattle area DOC work release facilities.

Of the several hundred inmates allowed to leave lock-up, several violent offenders caught our eye.

Gregory Burgess, Valerie Chard, and Dudley Bonds have two things in common; they’re all convicted murderers, connected to crimes where victims were bludgeoned with a hammer, a hatchet or a pipe wrench.

The other commonality - while still incarcerated as inmates, they were rewarded with a perk called social outings.

Here is just a partial list of Valerie Chard's trips; IKEA, Big 5 Sports, Fremont Solstice Parade, Majestic Bay Theater, Hair Masters, Lake Washington Bike Trail, Crest Cinema, Mongolian Grill, Lincoln Park, Queen Anne Cafe, Safeway, Crepe Cafe Northgate Mall, Totem Lake Mall, and the Queen City Restaurant.

She was allowed to go with friends and family, with no guard escort, as long as she returned within 8 hours.

Chard, who recently completed a 13 ½ year sentence for Murder in the 2nd degree, agreed to an interview with Team 7 Investigators because she thinks the program is worth defending.

Chard told Halsne, “You're going to be out in 4-6 months anyways. We work in the public. We work at Subway, at McDonalds. You interact with us every day, but you don't even know it. So what difference does it make? Why can’t we go spend time with our family and reconnect with them? We’ve met the criteria. We’ve earned that.”

"You're going to be out in 4-6 months anyways. ... So what difference does it make?" - Valerie Chard

While tooling around town, Chard could have easily run into another killer, Gregory Burgess or murder-rapist-sex offender, Dudley Bonds.

We found DOC records that show, despite still being technically incarcerated, they both spent time in the free world enjoying the Northgate Mall too, as well as Red Robin, Seafair, Ivar's, and a couple of ball games at Safeco Field. Pretty good deal considering both were death penalty eligible earlier in their criminal careers.

Ida Ballasiotes thinks social outings are a terrible idea. She is the former chair of the Washington State House Criminal Justice and Corrections Committee. Her daughter, Diane, was murdered by a poorly supervised work release inmate in 1988, so the concept of unescorted social outings for violent offenders makes her wonder if DOC learned any lessons.

“Yeah, they will get out, but let’s keep them away as long as we can,” Ballasiotes told Team 7 Investigators. “The only time our crime rate goes down is when these guys are in prison.”

The Department of Corrections, on the other hand, is a big fan of social outings for qualified work release inmates. Supervisor of the program at Reynolds Work Release in downtown Seattle, Xandis Phillips, explains;

Phillips: I look at it as a pro-social issue - learning how to do great things - fun things, instead of doing crime. Halsne: Don't you worry about making a mistake and trusting one of these people too much? Phillips: Sure. Everyday I worry about that, but I think it’s worth it, rather than to dump them out with nothing. At least they've got a place to stay. We watch what they're doing, make sure they work, make sure they aren't infracting. I think, in the long run, it’s a community safety issue more than what people would think.

Phillips says inmates call every two hours during their social outings and they get a breathalyzer test when they return. In addition, a sponsor (usually a family member) has to physically be with them. The sponsors do undergo criminal background checks, but KIRO Team 7 Investigators found some sponsors with criminal records are allowed to take work release inmates on social outings anyway.

We were allowed to speak with three current Reynolds Work Release inmates who had been granted social outing status. Shane Austin is doing prison time for drug related offenses; Robert Holmes for assaultive behavior; and Darrin Bowmen for property crimes. They all defend the program, saying a gradual re-entry into society makes more sense than kicking them out cold when their sentence is completed.

Austin says, “It’s definitely an incentive to want to do good. It’s important to my family. They really like to hang out and spend time with me.”

Holmes told us, “I was a drug addict. Actually being around my family sober is- makes me realize how much I was missing out on. I like social outings.”

While Holmes said he mostly uses his social outing time to hang out with his parents. “It's wonderful. Absolutely wonderful. It give me a newfound perspective on what the community is like again.”

DOC policy says that “high-risk violent offenders” or those who have been in trouble while incarcerated, won't be eligible, but Team 7 Investigators found that's a loose guideline, not a fast rule.

As a teenager, Gregory Burgess was convicted of killing his restaurant manager boss, during a robbery at a Burgerville in Vancouver. In prison, he was no angel. Records show he had at least six major prison infractions; knives in his cell, possession of drugs, fighting, just to name a few. He qualified for social outings away. We asked Phillips why.

“I'm looking for guys who have changed with behaviors. Yeah, they may have infracted for 10 years, but all of a sudden, they've gone 2 or 3 or 4 years without an infraction, which is a big improvement. It means they are learning to control their anger. Not argue with people. That means their behavior is improving and they are looking to a future.”

Dudley Bonds must have made big strides since raping and killing a 76-year-old neighbor lady three decades ago. Phillips says it’s unusual to allow a level two sex offender, like Bonds, social outing status, but, in her opinion, he earned the benefit.

Phillips: There's a little more scrutiny on those types of offenders and they must only go for the first social outing in county, for a short amount of time, so we know what they're doing? Halsne: Isn't that a higher risk Phillips: Why would it be a higher risk? Halsne: If I murdered or raped somebody in the past, compared to, say, stealing someone's tools? Phillips: I do think they probably are a high risk because of their past background, but remember, they have earned their way here - they're programmed - done everything perfectly to get here.

For Ida Ballasiotes, DOC’s use of words like 'perfectly' and "pro-social activity" is insulting to law abiding citizens who might unknowingly encounter a work release inmate wandering free around Costco or Alki Beach.