Gov. Inslee unveils plan to add a juvenile facility amid ‘avalanche’ of new offenders
Gov. Jay Inslee on Nov. 25 announced plans to open another juvenile rehabilitation facility in Washington — a proposal that he cast as necessary amid an “avalanche” of new offenders.
Inslee shared the proposal during a news conference at the Green Hill School in Chehalis. Since last year, Green Hill has experienced a 60% spike in its youth population.
The state’s other juvenile detention center in Snoqualmie has also dealt with unsustainable overcrowding.
“We’ve had, essentially, you might call it a juvenile crime wave that’s going on in the last couple of years in the state of Washington,” Inslee told reporters, adding that it was “unpredicted and unpredictable.”
The outgoing governor joined leaders from the Department of Children, Youth and Families in discussing the proposal that they’ll send to lawmakers early next year.
The new facility, on the grounds of the Stafford Creek Corrections Center in Aberdeen, would feature a program aimed at building peer-mentorship and leadership skills, according to a DCYF fact sheet provided at the news conference. Young people would then “[transition] back to Green Hill where they will be able to secure a position using those skills.”
Vocational and higher-educational programming, as well as cognitive-behavioral treatment, would be offered, the one-page information sheet says.
The new facility would help up to 48 men ages 18 to 25, the governor has said. The goal is to open the site in February.
DCYF would operate, staff and maintain the new juvenile justice center, Inslee said.
‘Avalanche’ of new offenders
More than 230 youth have been housed at Green Hill since this fall, pushing the center roughly 30% above its 180-person capacity, according to a post Nov. 25 on Inslee’s Medium page.
Juveniles can now stay at detention centers until they turn 25 because of recent legislation, as noted by the Washington State Standard. The move keeps them out of prison but has led to a booming population at these facilities.
Inslee said Nov. 25 that the plan to open the Aberdeen site is a short-term fix to an uptick in arrests.
“The fact of the matter is we’re getting just an avalanche of new juvenile offenders that are being sent to the state’s juvenile justice system,” Inslee said.
The overcrowding hasn’t been great for Green Hill.
The facility has seen an increase in crimes such as assault and drug possession, plus overdoses and riots, according to The Chronicle. Some 228 aggressive acts have unfolded in such centers across Washington as of July 23.
Yet Inslee cited recent improvements at Green Hill during the Nov. 25 event, including an 80% reduction in assaults over the past several months.
State Rep. Tana Senn told McClatchy on Nov. 25 that the rise in juvenile crime isn’t unique to Washington. It’s also unfolding nationwide. Fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic has played a role in this problem, as have mental health and poverty.
DCYF handles child care, child welfare and juvenile justice but misses a gap in between, Senn said.
“Once a child is 12 and no longer has child care, we don’t see them again unless they get in trouble,” the Mercer Island Democrat added.
Children need continued support, be it via after-school and enrichment activities or mentorship, she said.
“Because most crime happens between the hours of 3 and 6. And what is that? That is after-school time,” Senn said. “So, we could help kids and help crime at the same time.”
Staff burning out
While a new juvenile facility would help stem overflow elsewhere, Inslee said it wouldn’t be cheap.
The governor did not provide an estimated cost on Nov. 25, but plans to unveil a budget proposal in December. The plan comes as Washington is staring down a steep budget shortfall: one between $10 billion and $12 billion.
The Department of Children, Youth and Families has submitted a placeholder budget request between $4.8 million and $9 million, according to the Washington State Standard. Advocates argue that a new facility is crucial for the safety of young residents and staff alike.
Bailey Smith, mental health coordinator at Green Hill, told reporters that overcrowding at the facility has had “devastating” effects. It’s contributed to added stress and self-harming tendencies among youth, about 85% of whom have some type of mental-health need.
Smith’s co-worker, Eugene Barkley, echoed those concerns.
“Due to the conditions, staff are burning out at an alarming rate,” he said. “If the staff aren’t healthy, they cannot serve the residents.”
Inslee described juvenile crime as a social issue. Part of it can be traced to the presence of guns. Then there’s the mental-health component and “disintegration of support systems.”
State Sen. Claire Wilson, an Auburn Democrat, said Nov. 25 that communities need to focus on prevention efforts.
“I believe we’re one of the only places in the world where you have to do the wrong thing to get what you need to do it right,” she said. “And we must fix that.”
This story was originally published November 26, 2024 at 5:00 AM with the headline "Gov. Inslee unveils plan to add a juvenile facility amid ‘avalanche’ of new offenders."
