WA moves 43 young prisoners to adult prisons

Amid juvenile detention crisis, Washington moves 43 young prisoners to adult prisons

In an attempt to stem it’s youth detention facility crisis, Washington’s Department of Children, Youth, and Families (DCYF) announced Friday they’ve moved 43 young people into adult prisons.

Despite the move, DCYF told FOX 13 that they still aren’t able to lift last week’s suspension that blocks any new juveniles convicted of crimes from entering Echo Glenn, or Green Hill – the state’s two juvenile detention facilities.

Roughly five years ago, the state made changes to it’s juvenile rehabilitation programs that allowed young people that committed crimes as children to stay in juvenile facilities up until they turn 25-years-old. Each of the inmates transferred were males, over the age of 21 who had sentences that would have eventually led them to be moved into DOC facilities by age 25.

"This decision was not made lightly," said DCYF Secretary Ross Hunter. "The security risks related to overcrowded facilities have made our current situation untenable."

Over the past year, FOX 13 has documented a number of large fights or riots that unfolded within the Green Hill facility – the juvenile rehabilitation facility that houses male inmates in their late teens and early 20s.

Prior to Friday’s transfers, Green Hill had 236 people in it’s facility. The 43 transfers will leave the facility at 193. According to DCYF, the last several months have shown that roughly 6-to-8 juveniles are entering their facilities per week while only 2-to-4 are exiting.

A spokesperson with Governor Jay Inslee’s office referred to the situation as putting "the JR system at a breaking point."

Governor Inslee has greenlit DCYF to seek out options for a small to medium security facility that will serve young people. However, there is no set date for when that facility could open.

Asked whether a special session would be needed to address the emergency, Governor Inslee’s office downplayed the ideas stating it’d be "an extraordinary measure that comes with no guarantee of productive results."

As for DCYF, they’re currently in the midst of a 60-percent increase above 2023 levels.

While both immediate and long-term action is needed, the full plan won’t play out until the 2025 legislative session. A spokesperson told FOX 13 News that planning would include smaller, to medium-sized facilities and significant investments in programming and workforce to oversee the larger population.

At this time, counties are dealing with the challenge of where to place all young people that are convicted of crimes and sentenced to juvenile facilities.

"I can’t stand here and say coming to Green Hill or Echo would have been a better choice given the circumstances given where we’re at based on the instability, the incidents on campus, and the population," said Allison Krutsinger, a DCYF spokesperson.

"That’s just the unfortunate reality that we’re in."