To address overcrowding, WA plans new juvenile corrections facility at a state prison

Washington officials are opening a new juvenile corrections facility at a state prison in Aberdeen, marking their latest attempt to address overcrowding issues.

Gov. Jay Inslee says the new facility will ease the pressure at Green Hill School, one of the two juvenile facilities the state manages.

“We’ve decided this is the fastest route to increase capacity – we think it is the best route to increase capacity,” Inslee told reporters as he announced the change Monday.

The new facility will be located on the campus of Stafford Creek Corrections Center and operated by the Department of Children Youth and Families – not the Department of Corrections, which manages the state's adult prisons.

The move comes as Washington’s juvenile correction facilities have continued to struggle with breakouts, assaults, and drug use in recent years. Staff at Green Hill say overcrowding is preventing them from doing their jobs and leading to burnout among their colleagues.

“I am routinely asking my staff to do more with less – the staff who should be building relationships are simply doing their best to keep the facility safe,” said Eugene Barkley, a counseling supervisor.

In an attempt to address overcrowding issues earlier this year, the state halted intakes at its two juvenile correction centers. The state also moved 43 men in their early 20s from Green Hill to a state prison in Shelton, but that move was reversed in court.

The state has appealed the court’s decision, but Inslee says the new juvenile facility – even though it’s located at a state prison – does not violate the terms of that court order, since the state will operate the new facility completely separate from the adult prison it shares a campus with.

Inslee blames a wave of crime among young people for driving up the population. The state also made a change in 2018 allowing young people with long enough sentences to stay in juvenile facilities until the age of 25 to receive rehabilitation services (the policy is commonly referred to as “JR to 25”), instead of being moved to adult prison on their 21st birthday as they had in the past.

Critics of the JR to 25 policy say it’s making the problem worse and want to see the law reversed, but backers of the policy blame mismanagement for the issues.

Inslee says the new facility in Aberdeen is a “first step” to addressing the problem. It will also require additional funding, a challenging request as the state prepares to deal with a massive budget gap next year. But the governor says his budget proposal being released next month will include a way to fund it.

The new juvenile facility will house a program that aims to build up leadership skills and provide mentoring for the residents there. About 50 Green Hill Residents will be given the chance to opt into that program if they meet a number of requirements, like if they are over the age of 18 and have already received their GED or a high school diploma. They’ll go through the program for six months before returning to Green Hill, making room for the next cohort.

Officials aim to have the new facility fully operational early next year.