By Mitchell Roland / [email protected]
The state Department of Children, Youth and Families (DCYF) has resumed admitting children to both state-run youth rehabilitation facilities, more than a month after the agency suspended admissions due to safety and overcrowding concerns.
In an announcement Friday, DCYF said that filming for Echo Glen in Snoqualmie began “a few weeks ago” and that filming at Green Hill School in Chehalis would begin Friday.
“We appreciate the counties’ commitment during this difficult situation,” the agency said in a statement. “As the population at Green Hill continues to be well above capacity, our focus remains on the safety of the staff and young people in our facility.”
The announcement came weeks after the agency suspended admissions at both facilities and In an effort to combat the growing population, 43 Green Hill residents were transferred to the custody of the state Department of Corrections (DOC).
In the July 5 announcement, DCYF said the lockdown would continue until the facility reached a “sustainable population,” which DCYF said could take “months.”
According to KING 5 News, DCYF has settled a lawsuit brought by 13 Washington state counties, including Lewis, who claimed the agency failed to meet its obligations and violated state law by suspending the admission of children.
As part of the settlement, DCYF agreed to cover the counties’ legal fees.
While the admission of new offenders to Green Hill was suspended, DCYF announced that newly convicted offenders would begin their sentences in county-operated facilities.
The move sparked concern among law enforcement and lawmakers, with Sen. Matt Boehnke (R-Kennewick) saying he felt “blindsided” by the decision.
The move also sparked outrage among advocates for the transferred inmates, who said they were “concerned and frustrated” by DCYF’s decision to move the residents.
The move was ultimately halted after a Thurston County Superior Court judge ruled that the agency had not followed its procedures for removing inmates from the facility.
After the judge upheld the ruling on July 26, DCYF released a statement saying, in part, that the decision would “jeopardize the safety of Green Hill School residents and staff.”
According to DCYF Secretary Ross Hunter, Green Hill’s population increased from 150 residents in 2023 to 240 residents in June 2024, which is 30% above capacity, and the facility experienced significant growth after state law allowed some lower-level offenders to serve their sentences at the facility.
According to DCYF, there have been 228 acts of aggression in state juvenile detention centers since January.
Governor Jay Inslee has authorized the agency to explore options for a “small, medium-sized security facility,” and DCYF has announced plans to open a new facility with up to 16 beds in unincorporated “urban” Pierce County to house young offenders with “severe mental and behavioral problems.”
A DCYF spokesperson told The Chronicle that the department has found a location and is working on drafting a lease for the building.
DCYF is also considering changes to the Juvenile Justice Act (JR to 25), which is intended to reduce recidivism by allowing some offenders to serve their sentences in a youth rehabilitation facility even after they reach adulthood.
These changes to the law, five years after it came into effect, would focus on “what needs to be in the law to ensure that, given that reality, we do not end up in a situation where any of our facilities end up in an unsafe position in the future,” a DCYF spokesperson told The Chronicle.
“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: creating new spaces, recruiting and retaining a skilled workforce, and obtaining data from counties so we can better respond to changes in the JR population,” DCFY said in a statement Friday.
The Joint Narcotics Enforcement Team issued a search warrant on the facility in 2023 and seized evidence improperly stored in lockers. State Senator John Braun (R-Centralia) called for a full investigation of the facility, but was rebuffed by Inslee, who insisted that many positive improvements were being sought.
Four Green Hill School correctional employees were fired and arrested this year for alleged serious crimes committed at the Chehalis correctional facility.
The alleged offenses include selling meth and other contraband to an inmate, having an inappropriate relationship with a former inmate, prison riot, abuse of office and fourth-degree conspiracy to commit assault, and possession of marijuana in the facility.
In recent years, Washington state has invested in treatment services and infrastructure improvements as lawmakers seek to reduce recidivism rates.
“We’ve had some staff members who haven’t met our standards and expectations,” Jason Aldana, superintendent of Green Hill School, told reporters from The Chronicle during a tour in March. “But that’s not the average staff member here. They come here to try to make a difference in people’s lives and improve the lives of our residents and set them up for success.”
