Washington’s Juvenile Detention Crisis | Spokane News

Washington’s juvenile detention centers are in crisis, with nearly half of frontline staff quitting within a year due to unsafe conditions, lack of training, and insufficient support. Overcrowding—especially at Green Hill School, which holds 196 kids despite being designed for 180—is fueling violence, contraband, and systemic failures. Young people of color face disproportionate treatment, and outdated risk assessments fail to predict readiness for release. A state court ruled the overcrowding illegal, citing reports of kids locked in cells for hours and forced to use bottles. Despite some new facilities and funding requests, lawmakers have stalled major reforms, leaving staff burned out and youth without proper rehabilitation. Every 10 new detainees at Green Hill correlates with 5-6 more fights and drug incidents—highlighting a broken system in dire need of change. Listen in comfort:Get a discount on a Soli Pillow: http://solipillow.com/discount/dnn. Advertise on DNN:[email protected] This is an automated, high-level news summary based on public reporting.Report issues to [email protected]. View sources & latest updates:https://sources.thednn.ai/b28d4cdfe71d1d67