(The Center Square) – Families of incarcerated youth and juvenile justice advocates are speaking out against Washington state Gov. Jay Inslee’s recent announcement regarding plans for a new juvenile rehabilitation center.
Last week, Inslee announced a proposal to open a new juvenile rehabilitation center at the Stafford Creek Corrections Center in Aberdeen.
This comes as another facility in Chehalis is dealing with a mass influx of inmates.
Green Hill School is one of the most crowded facilities within the Washington Department of Children, Youth, and Families. It has increased its population by 60% since 2023.
Inslee said the new DCYF facility could serve up to 48 men between the ages of 18 and 25 and that adding capacity to the juvenile rehabilitation continuum is necessary to mitigate overcrowding at Green Hill School.
Inslee added that resuming education and programming for incarcerated youth can only occur once the overcrowding situation is addressed.
Juvenile justice advocacy groups Team Child and KidsAreKids held a virtual press conference on Tuesday, in which parents challenged Inslee’s reasoning for moving youth to a third facility in Aberdeen.