CHEHALIS, Wash. — Washington state Gov. Jay Inslee wants to move offenders who committed their crimes as juveniles to a former adult prison housing unit.
On Monday, Nov. 25 surrounded by legislators and state agency officials, Inslee said the move is needed to handle “an avalanche of new juvenile offenders that are being sent to the state's juvenile justice system.”
Green Hill School, one of the state’s two maximum security juvenile facilities, is designed to safely operate with 180 offenders.
As of Monday night, 237 residents were being held at the Chehalis facility.
Inslee is proposing turning an unused housing unit at the state prison in Aberdeen to house 48 of Green Hill’s offenders. He said the Stafford Creek Corrections Center space would be operated by juvenile justice employees from the Department of Children, Youth, and Family Services, not Department of Corrections workers.
Inslee said the overcrowding has created significant challenges, particularly in providing counseling, education, and vocational programs due to heightened security concerns since the state started receiving increased numbers of offenders in 2023.
State Senator Claire Wilson, D-Auburn, characterized the current situation as "unacceptable and unsustainable," highlighting the pressing need for action.
Green Hill Superintendent Jennifer Redman said she would like to start transferring offenders to Stafford Creek as soon as February of 2025, but noted that would require legislative approval.
Inslee will be replaced by Governor-elect Bob Ferguson in January.
Ferguson has not said what he thinks of the proposal, which was made public Monday afternoon.
Would Inslee's proposal fix other problems at maximum security facility?
Law enforcement wonders if Inslee's proposal will address other problems at the state’s maximum security facility for young male offenders.
“I’m pretty frustrated by what is currently happening,” said Randy Kaut, chief of the Chehalis police.
The department is overwhelmed by investigations of crimes inside Green Hill. Newly released statistics show the small town’s police force responded to 194 crimes reported inside Green Hill this year.
Through 2024, the KING 5 Investigators exposed increasing cases of employee misconduct, including the arrests of three employees accused of having sex with Green Hill inmates. Chehalis police records show referrals this year for 21 employees accused of “custodial misconduct.”
When asked if his proposal would result in a “culture change” among employees, Inslee insisted it would. He said crimes are already dropping because of “new personnel” at Green Hill, including a new superintendent.
Police are concerned that the number of Green Hill incidents are dropping because administrators are not reporting them. Chief Kaut hopes to meet with the new superintendent as soon as possible to coordinate a strategy for reporting and investigating crimes.