Pressure grows for top Washington official to resign over safety lapses at teen detention center

Calls are growing louder for the resignation of Ross Hunter, the director of the Washington State Department of Children, Youth & Families who was appointed to the position by Gov. Jay Inslee.

Pressure has been mounting for months over critical safety issues and violence directed at staff and inmates at the Green Hill School teen detention facility in Chehalis, which falls under the direction of DCYF.

Sen. John Braun, R-Chehalis, is among the lawmakers calling for Hunter’s resignation. He is also blasting majority Democrats for policies that he said have caused the crisis.

In February, Braun called for an investigation into the facility “after it was discovered staff failed to turn over to the police drug paraphernalia that was confiscated from inmates. Housing adults with juveniles, inadequate staffing, poor training, lack of enforcement of safety and security procedures, and illegal handling of contraband has created a volatile environment for inmates and staff.”

“People who say they care deeply about the young people at Green Hill don’t have the foresight to see what their own policies are doing to these young people,” Braun told The Center Square Friday. “Our Democratic majorities in the Legislature are focused on ideologies and be damned with the safety of others."

He was referring to Washington House Bill 6160, known as JR to 25, which was celebrated by Inslee as a significant step to reform criminal justice. HB 6160 allows young people convicted in adult court to remain in the juvenile corrections system until they turn 25.

The change was based on research showing youth transferred to adult prison populations before their brains had fully developed were more likely to end up reoffending. But, having adult males inside juvenile facilities has created chaos at times for younger inmates and staff, in addition to overcrowding.

Last month, The Green Hill School and Echo Glen Children’s Center in Snoqualmie announced they were no longer accepting new intakes “in an effort to stabilize a rising population that is compromising the safety of staff and young people served at the juvenile rehabilitation facilities,” according to DCYF in a statement as previously reported by The Center Square.

Washington’s 39 counties filed a lawsuit against the state, and less than a week later DCYF and the Washington State Association of Counties announced an agreement to end the freeze and immediately resume new intakes.

Inslee spokesperson Mike Faulk took issue with Braun's comments.

“It would be nice if John Braun’s engagement on this issue went beyond mere political broadsides every couple months," he emailed The Center Square. "We’re engaged in these issues daily and welcome productive conversations about resolving the challenges faced at Green Hill School right now.”

The ongoing issues at Green Hill are coming up as part of contract negotiations with the Washington Federation of State Employees that represents workers at the facility.

A union spokesperson sent The Center Square the following email: "With insufficient staff to provide youth with therapeutic and recreational activities, workers at Green Hill School and Echo Glen Children’s Center have experienced an alarming rise in assaults."

The union has made "numerous unsuccessful attempts" to resolve safety issues at Green Hill School informally with management. The union filed a group grievance in July over violations of their collective bargaining agreement after a July 16 assault.

The union claims the Office of Financial Management is proposing pay reductions at facilities like Green Hill.

Braun said he’s not at all shocked the union is making pay increase demands for its members.

“They do a valuable job and a difficult job, and yet we continue to put them into an unworkable situation,” Braun said. “If they demand more money for trying to make the impossible possible, that’s not at all surprising to me.”