This story was originally posted on MyNorthwest.com
With the increase in juvenile violent crime, Washington Governor Jay Inslee said overcrowding is hampering the state’s ability to provide services to young offenders, particularly at Green Hill School, one of the state’s medium/maximum security facilities in Chehalis. Therefore, the governor is proposing a new juvenile rehabilitation facility.
Green Hill has seen a 60% increase in its population since last year and is over capacity. According to a Medium blog post by Inslee Monday, the school can safely hold 180 young people but has hovered near or above 220 since spring 2024 and above 230 since fall.
The resulting overcrowding at certain facilities has created unsafe conditions and reduced the ability for young men to receive services.
“The state is going to move forward by setting a new juvenile justice facility,” Inslee said. “It will be located adjacent to the Stafford Creek facility in Aberdeen.”
Stafford Creek is a Department of Corrections facility, but the new facility will be staffed and operated by the Washington Department of Children, Youth and Families. According to Inslee’s post, once fully operational the facility will serve up to 48 young men ages 18 to 25.
“This will be a juvenile justice facility,” Inslee reiterated. “It will be staffed by juvenile justice personnel. It will operate according to the rules of the juvenile justice system.”
The governor added the new facility is just a first step.
“If you look at the numbers of the anticipated increase in people coming into the system, there will have to be some additional capacity at some later date,” Inslee said.
He didn’t talk specifically about how much the facility would cost but said “This is not expensive.” However, Inslee then acknowledged services are not cheap and gave a small hint at how it would be paid for.
“When you have to provide 24/7 care and rehabilitative services it is not cheap,” he said. “We will put it in my budget and make a proposal for legislators to grapple with.”
Washington State Representative Tana Senn said a new facility to house young men until the age of 25 is critical for the state going forward.
“The added capacity and reduced crowding are critical to the core function of juvenile rehabilitation and that is the rehabilitation,” she explained.