Overcrowding, staff turnover lead to unsafe environment at Washington's juvenile rehabilitation facilities, legislative audit finds

Washington state's juvenile rehabilitation (JR) facilities face unsafe conditions caused by overcrowding, staffing issues and inaccurate risk assessments, according to a recent legislative audit from the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Committee (JLARC).

The Department of Children, Youth and Families (DCYF) oversees the state's JR facilities, which house young people convicted of serious crimes committed when they were minors.

For years, July has been considered the state's Juvenile Rehabilitation Appreciation Month. The nonpartisan JLARC released its state-mandated report on Wednesday.

Overcrowding leads to incident increase

According to JLARC, as of December 2025, the average daily population housed in DCYF's facilities was 412. Throughout that year, roughly 92% were male and 8% were female. About 25% of the incarcerated individuals were serving an adult sentence, the auditors said.

"There is also a higher concentration of young people who have committed the most serious crimes such as murder, sex offenses, assault, and robbery," the report said. "As a result, the average sentence length has increased, and there is less turnover in the population."

Green Hill School in Chehalis and Echo Glen Children's Center in Snoqualmie house 74% of the state's JR population. Green Hill has been over its safe operating capacity of 180 since 2023.

The Chehalis facility houses young males ages 17 to 25. Under state law, those serving longer sentences are transferred to the Department of Corrections (DOC) when they hit 25.

"Since 2022, both facilities have seen an increase in safety and security incidents such as fights, assaults, and contraband," the report said. "Overall, the number of incidents at Green Hill more than quadrupled between 2022 and 2024."

To address the issue, JLARC suggested a turn to smaller facilities that are "more conducive to rehabilitation," citing a national decline in youth facilities with over 100 beds and research supporting more "community-based settings."

High turnover, "unprepared" staff

According to JLARC, 47% of the state's JR frontline staff - including security officers, counselors and managers - leave within one year. Green Hill reports the highest turnover.

During focus groups with JLARC, frontline workers reported that staff quit "because they feel unsafe, unprepared, and unsupported," citing, among a number of issues: understaffed facilities that lead to burnout, inadequate training, non-competitive salaries, limited promotional opportunities, and a hiring process that does not "provide a realistic understanding of the job."

JLARC noted that DCYF has attempted to reduce burnout at some of its facilities by adjusting its shift schedules. The agency has also increased pay for its frontline staff, auditors said, but added that salaries for security officers "remain below those of other corrections officers."

"Poor" risk assessments

The state audit also found issues with DCYF's risk assessments, saying that they were not statistically valid. In other words, they failed to accurately predict a young person's risk-level.

An inaccurate assessment, the auditors said, could lead to a high-risk individual being placed in a less-restrictive setting, with potentially dangerous consequences. A low-risk individual, on the other hand, could be prohibited from transferring to a more community-based setting, potentially hindering rehabilitative opportunities.

JLARC emphasized that none of the issues identified in its report were isolated in nature, and said that addressing one, or some, without the others would "likely be insufficient."

"For example, as population increases, incidents increase. As incidents increase, staff report feeling less safe. High turnover means a workforce that is consistently newer and less experienced. Newer staff report feeling unprepared. Young people report that they need to feel safe before they can engage in programs," the auditors said.

JLARC concluded its report by offering one recommendation to the state Legislature and seven to DCYF. Those recommendations are listed in their entirety below:

The Legislature should consider addressing crowding issues at DCYF secure facilities to improve safety.

DCYF should take steps to increase staff retention, especially for frontline staff.

DCYF should improve staff training to ensure staff are safe, supported, and prepared for their jobs.

DCYF should develop clear incident response procedures for assaults, riots, and other incidents and ensure the procedures are followed.

DCYF should use validated assessments that accurately predict risks and identify needs of its population.

DCYF should evaluate the mix of rehabilitative programs offered to ensure they align with the needs of its current population.

DCYF should match specific rehabilitative programs with each young person's individual needs.

DCYF should collect and use accurate, reliable, and consistent data.

A spokesperson for DCYF told The Chronicle on Friday that the agency intends to provide a formal response over the coming weeks as part of the "audit report process."

"The bulk of the information collected for this audit was from 2024 and 2025, the height of our overcrowding," DCYF said. "The report reinforces the agency's position that operating above capacity is unsafe for both young people and staff. We plan to highlight the strategies DCYF deployed over the past year to address overcrowding and next steps, including bringing additional physical capacity."

To read the full JLARC report, visit https://tinyurl.com/mx62ddvp.

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This story was originally published July 11, 2026 at 11:21 AM.