With overcrowding at Washington’s two juvenile detention centers, the Department of Children, Youth and Families is asking state lawmakers for money to open a new facility.

The department wants to add a smaller, minimum and medium security site to help alleviate pressure on the other two centers, which had to pause admissions earlier this year because they were over capacity. The goal is for the new facility to also help with providing a more rehabilitative environment and mental health services for young people convicted of crimes.

“This is critical for the safety of our staff,” said Allison Krutsinger, spokesperson for the department. “It’s critical for the safety of the young people that reside there.”

Green Hill School, located in Chehalis, currently houses about 240 people. Its safe operational capacity is 180. The overcrowding is unsustainable, according to the department’s budget request, and young people are not able to get the range of programming and support they need.

“Green Hill is unsafe,” Krutsinger said.

The department submitted a placeholder request to the governor for between $4.8 million and $9 million to secure a new facility and prepare it for operation. The exact location isn’t confirmed yet so the amount of money the department will officially request is still being finalized.

On Nov. 25, Gov. Jay Inslee will hold a press conference to discuss steps to reduce overcrowding at juvenile rehabilitation facilities, including previewing policy and budget proposals aimed at “ensuring the state can sustainably and safely serve the changing JR population,” according to his office.

The funding sought by the Department of Children, Youth and Families would go toward expenses like leasing costs, maintenance, equipment and staff. Krutsinger said the department has been looking at a number of possible sites and would have more specifics in the coming week.

In their budget request, the department points to an increased caseload and a bigger need for mental health support as two main reasons for needing this new facility.

Recent legislation extended the juvenile age to 25 for some offenses and allowed young people convicted of crimes to remain at juvenile detention centers — as opposed to going to prison — until their 25th birthday. That extension has led to a “significant rise in population” at the centers, according to the department’s budget request.

Krutsinger said the state cannot just build a new wing at Green Hill or Echo Glen Children’s Center, located in Snoqualmie. Even with more beds, parts of the centers like dining halls and common spaces would still be too small.

The freeze on admissions at the two existing centers lasted about a month over the summer and sparked a lawsuit from the Washington Association of Counties against the Department of Children, Youth, and Families. An agreement in August between the two sides ended the pause.

In addition to the counties’ lawsuit, the department faced backlash for its decision to transfer 43 young men between the ages of 21 to 25 from Green Hill School to state prison. A state judge ordered the reversal of that move.

Along with additional capacity, the new facility is supposed to help the department move toward a more therapeutic approach to serving young people experiencing mental health challenges in their facilities. The state needs to increase capacity for this type of care for people with medium-security classifications, according to the department.

Smaller facilities with fewer people provide a different type of rehabilitation, Krutsinger said.

“Over time, you will see us moving away from growing the footprint of the larger campuses and moving towards more capacity for smaller, community-based settings,” she said.

The Legislature is looking at a multi-billion dollar deficit over the next four years, which could make funding for new programs and services difficult to get through.

But Krutsinger said this request should be a priority and shouldn’t be a surprise to lawmakers — some of whom voiced frustration over the summer that crowding at the centers was allowed to get to such high levels.

“We’ve been very clear and transparent,” Krutsinger said. “The solution is more capacity.”

Washington State Standard is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Washington State Standard maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Bill Lucia for questions: info@washingtonstatestandard.com. Follow Washington State Standard on Facebook and Twitter.