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The lead Republican on the state Senate committee that oversees Washington’s correctional system says he felt “blindsided” by the removal — and ordered return — of 43 inmates from Green Hill School in Chehalis.
The statement by state Sen. Matt Boehnke, R-Kennewick, comes after the Department of Children, Youth and Families (DCYF) announced it had paused intake at both Green Hill and Echo Glen Children’s Center in Snoqualmie, and after DCYF moved 43 residents from Green Hill to the state Department of Corrections (DOC) as the agency looks to address overcrowding and safety concerns.
"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," Boehnke said in a statement Tuesday. “The complete disregard of due process and notice is a real concern.”
Earlier this month, DCYF paused intake into both of the state’s juvenile rehabilitation facilities, with DCYF Secretary Ross Hunter calling the overpopulation “unsustainable.”
According to Hunter, the population at Green Hill increased from 150 residents in 2023 to 240 residents in June 2024, which is 30% above capacity, and the facility saw considerable growth after state law allowed some minor offenders to serve their sentences at the facilities.
The facility considers 180 residents “best practice.”
"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 Tuesday. "The aggression and violence we're seeing completely contradicts that."
A week later, the agency announced the transfer of 43 “young people” with adult sentences to the DOC and said it eyed a new medium security facility to house residents with “severe mental health, behavioral health needs.”
“This decision was not made lightly, but the security risks related to overcrowded facilities have made our current situation untenable,” Hunter said in a statement after announcing the transfer. “We have to prioritize the safety of young people and staff, and that it is safer for everyone when we have capacity levels that promote rehabilitation.”
The move, though, is currently on hold after a Thurston County Superior Court judge ordered Friday that the 43 adult inmates removed from Green Hill be returned to the facility within two weeks. In the order, Judge Anne Egeler noted that DCYF signed an agreement less than one year ago that outlined the process for DCYF to transfer an inmate to the DOC, which was not followed.
"The settlement agreement provides an outlet valve for the respondents," Egeler said, according to FOX 13. "Respondents may file an emergency motion seeking an exception to move a class member to DOC custody pending an individualized review hearing, they opted not to do so."
A final injunctive hearing is scheduled in Thurston County Superior Court on Friday.
Instead of being sent to either Green Hill or Echo Glen, newly sentenced offenders will remain in custody at county facilities, according to DCYF, with the department providing financial support.
According to Boehnke, he and Sen. Chris Gildon, R-Puyallup, toured Echo Glen last week and met with DCYF leadership, though Hunter did not attend the meeting.
“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 state juvenile rehabilitation facilities since January.
Following a series of letters between Senate Minority Leader John Braun, R-Centralia, and Gov. Jay Inslee about the facility, Braun toured Green Hill in March.
In an April 12 editorial published in The Chronicle following the visit, Braun said he met with the interim superintendent of the facility and that Green Hill “deserves a second chance.”
After announcing the resident transfer, a spokesperson for DCYF told The Chronicle that the agency was eyeing a series of reforms to JR to 25, legislation that allowed some young offenders to stay in juvenile rehabilitation facilities until their 25th birthday.
Allison Krutsinger, director of public affairs for DCYF, also said the agency was eying a facility with up to 16 beds in unincorporated “urban” Pierce County to house young offenders with “severe mental health, behavioral health needs.”
According to Krutsinger, the building is “owned by a private provider that no longer operates” though she did not have an estimated cost for the new facility.
DCYF also eyed amendments to JR to 25 that would focus on “what needs to exist in the law to ensure we don't end up in a situation where one of our facilities, given this reality, ends up in an unsafe situation in the future.”
Krutsinger said the department anticipated some funding requests that “are in line with smaller, medium security, flexible security facilities that can exist in a variety of communities.”
The department will also ask for additional funding for “mental health staff, mental health resources” and money for programming and educational opportunities.
According to Boehnke, the issue lies with the agency, not with funding or policy decisions.
“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 Tuesday.
Overcrowding at Green Hill School has long been cited among the reasons for a rise in crime at the facility, which have included drug possession, assault and other felony charges.
The Joint Narcotics Enforcement Team served a warrant at the facility in August 2023 and seized evidence stored in lockers. In February, Braun called for a full investigation of the facility but was rebuffed by Inslee, who insisted many positive improvements were being pursued.
“I have a strong interest in ensuring a safe environment for Green Hill School’s youth and employees, and promoting positive rehabilitation outcomes for the youth at all our juvenile rehabilitation facilities,” Inslee wrote in a Feb. 22 letter to Braun that was shared with The Chronicle. “I cannot imagine anyone whose heart does not break at the news of a young person — whatever their circumstances — grappling with substance use issues or trying to escape a dangerous cycle of violence.”
The governor has repeatedly said the facility has taken steps to improve protocols, telling The Chronicle on Jan. 4 that “the institution has a better screening system now. They have a better way to handle the drugs that are found.”
