OLYMPIA, Washington. – The Washington State Department of Children, Youth and Families (DCYF) announced that it will begin accepting inmates again on Friday.
The department confirmed that admissions will resume at Green Hill School in Chehalis.
Last month, the state transferred inmates due to overcrowding at Washington’s youth correctional facilities, arguing that the population crisis had made the emergency transfer necessary.
Last month, a Thurston County judge upheld her decision to send 43 young adults back to Green Hill Juvenile Detention Center, despite the state’s objections.
The judge ruled that DCYF had improperly transferred the residents to the Department of Corrections, violating an agreement reached in a previous court case.
Below is a statement released by the ministry on Friday:
“We have reached an agreement with our county partners that will lift the enrollment freeze at our youth rehabilitation facilities. We resumed enrollment at our Echo Glen facility a few weeks ago and will resume enrollment at Green Hill School on August 9.”
“We appreciate the counties’ commitment during this difficult situation. As Green Hill’s occupancy continues to be well above capacity, our focus remains on the safety of the staff and young people in our facility.”
“We are working with legislators, counties and stakeholders on the three actions needed to ensure all young people in JR can safely access the programs and services they need: create new spaces, recruit and retain a skilled workforce, and get data from counties so we can better respond to changes in the JR population.”
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