Inslee sends prison staff to a youth detention center to address overcrowding

Washington Governor Jay Inslee has ordered the Department of Corrections to deploy staff to Green Hill School in Chehalis because of safety issues at the juvenile detention center due to overcrowding.

The Department of Children, Youth and Families announced Inslee's order on Aug. 13. It followed the agency's July 8 decision to stop admitting children to its two juvenile detention centers and keep convicted youth in county jails. That decision was overturned in an Aug. 9 agreement between Washington counties and the state agency after the counties sued.

“We cannot focus on rehabilitation without ensuring safety first,” said agency director Ross Hunter. “Additional staff and collaboration will benefit youth and staff by supporting our ongoing safety efforts and helping us resume programs and treatment for youth at GHS.”

Hunter has faced calls for his resignation from state lawmakers and the Washington Juvenile Justice Board over the problems at Green Hill. In an interview with FOX 13, he blamed other agencies for “not accurately predicting” the number of youths who would be sent to his agency's facilities, but admitted he did not warn counties about his subsequent actions.

While the agency's original announcement stated that 10 corrections staff members would be sent to Green Hill, Nancy Gutierrez, spokeswoman for the Department of Children, Youth and Families, told the Standard on August 27 that 20 adult corrections staff members work at the facility.

“The Department of Corrections brings a unique skill set and does an excellent job,” said Mike Faulk, a spokesman for the governor's office. “They are here solely to assist DCYF in keeping everyone at Green Hill safe. This has helped restart a number of activities that were not possible before.”

This is the first time that the Department of Justice and the Department of Children, Youth and Families have entered into an agreement known as a “unified command,” Gutierrez said.

The state calls it “unified command” when “multiple agencies work together to respond to emergency situations,” according to an Aug. 16 letter sent by Felice Upton, deputy secretary of the Department of Youth Rehabilitation, to staff and residents of Green Hill School.

“DOC is involved because it has a team of nationally trained and certified incident and event managers,” Upton's letter states. “This team supports other agencies throughout the state and country and is widely respected for its expertise.”

Chanel Rhymes, a criminal defense attorney whose son is incarcerated at Green Hill, said she had mixed feelings about the arrival of corrections officials at the facility.

“It feels like the staff at Green Hill are particularly young and don't have a lot of experience,” Rhymes said. “In some ways, it's OK to have people from the DOC come and show them the basics of how to run a facility.”

“But then again, this is DOC,” Rhymes said. “They're used to dealing with adults. This is supposed to be a different form of incarceration. So are they prepared to deal with juveniles?”

Upton said Department of Corrections staff were not on site to manage Green Hill, but had arrived “on a temporary basis to partner with DCYF in our shared mission to improve safety.”

Gutierrez said corrections officials would assist in searching for contraband and the “organized, safe movement of residents.”

“This past week, their focus has been on cleanliness,” Upton's mid-August letter to the unified command said. “We are very pleased to report another success this week: starting this evening, we will be able to use the cafeteria again for meals.”

Upton's letter said residents have not been able to use the cafeteria for four years. Gutierrez did not immediately respond to questions about the cafeteria closure.

Rhymes said the cafeteria closure came as a shock to her. She had thought her son would be able to use the cafeteria because it was open during family visits, such as at Christmas. She has had difficulty connecting with her son, she said, since the facility appears to still be mostly closed due to overcrowding issues.

“They are unable to get out of their cells and be programmed or educated,” Rhymes said. “This is the time in their lives when they should be studying or learning some skill to become productive citizens, and we are harming them.”

Rhymes said her son was able to call her Tuesday night for the first time in a week, and told her it was the only time he had been away from his cellphone all day.

“We know that current conditions are challenging and will take time to improve,” Upton's letter said. “We have teams actively looking at ways to reduce overcrowding at GHS and are working with legislators to provide funding for additional facilities. Until we have more space to house more people, safety issues will persist and access to services will be limited.”