OLYMPIA, Wash. — On July 5 the Washington State Department of Children, Youth and Families (DCYF) suspended new intakes at Echo Glen Children’s Center in Snoqualmie and the Green Hill School in Chehalis.
According to a press release from the DCYF, the suspension has been implemented to stabilize the rising population of incoming young people to juvenile rehabilitation (JR) facilities.
The DCYF claims that these rising numbers threaten the safety of both staff and those already occupying the facilities.
DCYF Secretary Ross Hunter notified juvenile, adult and tribal courts across Washington state of this decision.
"When too many young people are concentrated in small spaces it can escalate behaviors and limit the ability for therapeutic rehabilitation,” explained Hunter. "This was not sustainable. Our facilities must be safe, therapeutic, and functional."
This does not mean that juvenile offenders will be released. Rather, instead of entering one of these JR facilities, those sentenced to JR will remain in a county facility until the JR facilities reach a more sustainable capacity level.
DCYF claims in a press release that they will provide funds to the counties holding those awaiting JR.
The DCYF reports in a press release that in the last year, the Green Hill location experienced an influx of young people entering JR that outnumbered releases each week. The population in Green Hill went from 150 in January 2023 to 240 in June 2024, which is 30% above their capacity.
DCYF has been working to address concerns over rising populations by using other community facilities and Community Transition Services which both involve transferring young people to minimum-security options.
In reference to staffing concerns, DCYF has deployed contracted security staff to both facilities as well as additional staff to Green Hill to provide support to the young people and maintain programming.
The suspension will remain in place until the JR population reaches sustainable levels. According to a press release from the DCYF, they estimate that this could take several months.
While suspensions are active, the DCYF will maintain a waitlist to prioritize and manage intakes once the suspension is lifted.
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