No fixes on horizon for crowding crisis in WA's youth prisons
Problems with overcrowding have enveloped the Green Hill School juvenile detention center in Chehalis for nearly two years, leading to unsafe conditions for the minors incarcerated there and the staff tasked with overseeing them.
But Washington state lawmakers left Olympia last month without making substantial changes to address the crisis. The lack of progress was frustrating for lawmakers on both sides of the aisle.
While a new facility opening this year in Aberdeen could offer some relief, the failure to pass significant legislation on the issue means Green Hill is on track to continue housing dozens more people than it is designed to safely hold.
State Senate Human Services Committee Chair Claire Wilson, D-Federal Way said she “really felt disappointed for the young people that we let down.”
https://washingtonstatestandard.com/2025/05/12/no-fixes-on-horizon-for-crowding-crisis-in-was-youth-prisons/