Senate Minority Leader John Braun, R-Centralia, has renewed calls for a “complete and credible investigation into the staff, policies, procedures and executive mismanagement” at Green Hill School in Chehalis.
“In a single week in January, four students overdosed on fentanyl. More than one of those young men required multiple doses of the rescue drug Narcan to survive,” Braun wrote in a letter addressed to Gov. Jay Inslee. “Other students who have not used drugs in the past are being pressured to use by those who possess smuggled opioids, Xanax and other illegal substances. Riots are becoming more common. And gang activity is rampant.”
In response, a spokesperson for the governor said Friday that “as a larger review takes shape to address these issues, (the Department of Children, Youth and Families) will continue to collaborate with local law enforcement on strategies for preventing the smuggling of contraband and enforcing policies among youth and staff.”
At issue is the juvenile detention and rehabilitation system run by the Department of Children, Youth and Families (DCYF), which saw at least 10 riots in 2023 that have since been charged in Lewis County Superior Court, according to previous reporting by The Chronicle.
Additionally, eight cases stemming from a Joint Narcotics Enforcement Team raid of the facility in August have since been charged in Lewis County Superior Court.
Four contraband-related incidents at Green Hill School that occurred after an Aug. 31 raid of the facility have also had hearings in Lewis County Superior Court, according to previous reporting by The Chronicle.
“When the chief of police in Centralia, Stacy Denham, requested that you investigate the facility, you dismissed his concerns and the firsthand reports of how bad the situation had gotten,” Braun wrote. “When asked about the staff storing contraband in lockers rather than turning it over to law enforcement, as required by law, you claimed there had been a misunderstanding and said things were improving thanks to the state taking stronger measures to keep drugs out of the facility.”
In his response, the governor’s spokesperson Mike Faulk pointed to “larger, systemic challenges” at the facility, which include “the dynamics and security risks that come from serving young adults up to age 25.”
Passed by the Legislature in 2018, JR to 25 allows those sentenced in adult court for crimes committed under the age of 18 to serve time in juvenile rehabilitation facilities such as Green Hill until they are 25.
According to Faulk, the legislation requires a “transformational shift in operations and facilities planning.”
Faulk wrote that “many of the tools and strategies” available at adult correctional facilities, including “space for segregating individuals involved in assaults, or staffing and equipment for more extensive surveillance” are not yet available at Green Hill.
In his letter, Braun said, “Policies passed by majority Democrats over the past many years to improve the juvenile justice system are a failed experiment in the name of compassion.”
Additionally, Faulk said the “fentanyl crisis is a challenge across the country and poses new, more acute risks than previously experienced.”
The governor has repeatedly said the facility has taken steps to improve protocols, telling The Chronicle on Jan. 4 that “the institution has a better screening system now. They have a better way to handle the drugs that are found.”
In his letter Friday, Braun said Inslee should “stop ignoring and covering up the serious problems brought to light by law enforcement, the press and Green Hill staff who have blown the whistle on the facility.”
