OLYMPIA … On July 12, the Washington State Department of Children, Youth, and Families transferred 43 incarcerated men over the age of 21 from Green Hill School in Chehalis to the custody of the state Department of Corrections. One week later, a Thurston Co. Superior Court judge found the transfer violated a previous legal agreement, and the 43 inmates should be returned to DCYF custody.
State Sen. Matt Boehnke, the Republican leader on the Senate committee that addresses corrections and juvenile rehabilitation, was blindsided by the action – both the transfer and return of the inmates – and feels DCYF needs to be more transparent, accountable to the people and put the safety of youth first.
“We are tracking this issue closely. Children’s safety in our state’s agencies is a high priority. It is our state’s responsibility to protect children in juvenile facilities,” said Boehnke, R-Kennewick. “The complete disregard of due process and notice is a real concern.”
Earlier in July, DCYF announced it was suspending intakes of youth and young adults into Green Hill and the Echo Glen Children Center, the juvenile rehabilitation facility in Snoqualmie.
The agency said the suspension was necessary because the Green Hill population had spiked to 30% above capacity, leading to a deteriorating and dangerous situation for staff.
According to reports, all 43 men transferred are serving sentences that extend past their 25th birthday, meaning they would have eventually been transferred to DOC anyway.
A policy package collectively known as “JR to 25” significantly changed Washington’s juvenile justice system. Senate Bill 6160, passed in 2018, extended juvenile jurisdiction to those convicted of certain crimes to age 25, up from age 21. House Bill 1646, enacted in 2019, required youth convicted as adults for a felony offense committed under 18 to be placed with DCYF instead of the DOC. These youth then serve their sentences at a JR facility until age 25. These two new policies are just two of many changes made by Senate Bill 6160 and House Bill 1646.
The judge found the DCYF decision to transfer the incarcerated men is a violation of JR to 25.
Coinciding with DCYF’s recent announcement, the Washington State Institute for Public Policy released a study detailing the impacts JR to 25 has had on juvenile rehabilitation facilities. For example, the average age of those incarcerated in JR facilities has risen at Echo Glen and Green Hill. Also, the population of those imprisoned for crimes committed against a person and felonies increased between 6% and 11% across all facilities.
On July 17, Sen. Boehnke and Sen. Chris Gildon, R-Puyallup, met with DCYF leadership and toured Echo Glen. DCYF Secretary Ross Hunter did not join the group.
“Echo Glen and the policies implementing juvenile rehabilitation do not appear prepared to handle the current population. The overall lack of security there was abundant,” Boehnke said. “The facility doesn’t appear to be designed as a secure detention facility. Sec. Hunter must prioritize this moving forward.”
According to DCYF, 228 aggressive acts have occurred in JR facilities since January 2024. Legislators have not received any potential solutions or options from the agency about addressing or mitigating its challenges.
“While they are paying their debt to society, our state’s incarcerated youth need to be in a safe environment so they can learn to be a positive individual when they transition back to society,” Boehnke said. “The aggression and violence we’re seeing completely contradicts that.”
The state’s current operating and capital budgets funded the opening of four living units, additional contracted security staffing, and a fence at Green Hill.
“The problem isn’t the vision or policies of JR to 25, it’s how DCYF leadership and Sec. Hunter is mismanaging it. They need to do a better job, so the legislature can better support JR to 25,” Boehnke said.
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