ABERDEEN, Wash. — Dozens of young men who were convicted of crimes in Washington when they were juveniles could serve some of their sentences in former adult solitary confinement cells as soon as this coming spring.
Last month, Gov. Jay Inslee proposed converting 48 units at Stafford Creek Corrections Center in Aberdeen to juvenile rehabilitation (JR) beds in an attempt to alleviate overcrowding at the Green Hill School, a juvenile detention facility.
The Democrat called for $33 million in state funding to hire staff and convert the space that has not housed adult offenders since 2018.
Inslee said overcrowding at Green Hill has made that facility less safe and staff members are not offering the education and counseling the offenders need.
Legislators still need to approve the funding, but a spokesperson for Washington’s Department of Children, Youth, and Families (DCYF) said work is already underway.
"We're moving. We're going. Our projected open date is the end of February, beginning of March. We have to have relief for the JR population on the Green Hill campus,” said Allison Krutsinger.
She said the state is dealing with a “crisis situation.”
Krutsinger said work will be done to “soften” the appearance and functionality of the prison space.
”I think the big changes you'll see are carpets, some different painting, soft furniture, couches, tables, chairs for gathering, meals,” said Krutsinger. “We do want this to be a rehabilitative environment with, you know, therapeutic space, classroom space.”
Krutsinger said only offenders over the age of 18 and those with a GED or high school diploma will be allowed to transfer to Stafford Creek.
The young men would never have contact with adult offenders, said Krutsinger.
They would be allowed to exercise in a fenced-in yard adjacent to the housing units, she said.
Wednesday, inmates currently serving sentences at Stafford Creek were building a fence meant to prevent adult inmates from seeing into that space.
DCYF moved 43 offenders from Green Hill School to state prisons earlier this year.
Columbia Legal Services sued the state, arguing that the move violated the offenders' rights. A judge agreed and ordered the offenders sent back.
Sarah Nagy, the lead attorney on that case, said she will be watching the proposal to guarantee any young men sent to the state prison will not be treated as inmates at an adult facility.