This story was originally published on MyNorthwest.com
A detention center constructed to ease the increase of detained juveniles in the state is now expected to open months later than anticipated.
Citing difficulty in hiring staff, Department of Children, Youth and Families (DCYF) Secretary Tana Senn told The Washington Standard the facility won’t open until at least June. DCYF originally hoped the facility would open in March. In addition to needing hires for security and general maintenance, the facility also needs to hire nurses, doctors and counselors.
The planned youth facility, dubbed Harbor Heights, is located near Grays Harbor in Aberdeen on the property of Stafford Creek Corrections Center — a near-2,000 capacity prison that opened in 2000. Its creation is to help curb overcrowding at Green Hill School in Chehalis — one of Washington’s two maximum security prisons for convicted juveniles, the other being Echo Glen Children’s Center in Snoqualmie.
Green Hill has seen a 60% increase in its population from 2023 to 2024. Last June, DCYF announced it was suspending taking in new inmates at both Echo Glen Children’s Center and the Green Hill School due to overflowing populations.
Former Washington Governor Jay Inslee included $33 million for the Harbor Heights project in his final budget proposal.
Related on MyNorthwest: 2 youth detention centers no longer receiving inmates as populations overflow
Harbor Heights is more than a jail
Once fully operational, the facility will serve up to 48 young men ages 17 to 25, but it’s intended to be more than just a prison. It’s expected to operate as a six-month rotation for young men in juvenile detention who qualify for medium security status, according to The Washington Standard, where they can build certain skills, then return to Green Hill or be released from custody.
Cognitive behavioral therapy treatment is also expected to be a part of the detained juvenile’s regimen.
Last week, DCYF announced Kendrick Rochelle will be the superintendent of the Harbor Heights juvenile detention center once it is operational.
“My mission is to create a safe, structured, and supportive environment for young people and staff by holding both accountable, while maintaining fairness and respect,” Rochelle said.
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