| Green Hill School | |
| Streetaddress: | 375 SW 11th Street |
| City: | Chehalis, Washington |
| Zipcode: | 98532 |
| Coordinates: | 46.6497°N -122.9622°W |
| Schooltype: | Youth detention center |
| Established: | 1891 (as Washington State Reform School) |
| District: | Chehalis School District |
Green Hill School is part of Washington state's correctional system under the Juvenile Rehabilitation Administration, and is the state's only maximum security penitentiary for youths.[1] It is located in the South Market district of Chehalis on I-5, next to Recreation Park.
The school is independently managed by the Washington Department of Children, Youth and Families (DCYF).[2] It provides "academic classes and vocational training and works" for adolescent males who have been incarcerated.
Begun by law in 1891 under the name, Washington State Reform School, it was originally open to both girls and boys as young as 8 years old who were orphaned or convicted of a crime. Young women would be sent to a girls-only reform school, named Maple Lane, in Grand Mound beginning in 1913. The name was changed to Washington State Training School in the early 20th century.[3] [4]
In the early 20th century, Green Hill students had a band that would march in local parades and celebrations, often times to raise funds for the school and student activities. Fundraisers sometimes included performing in minstrel shows, a common activity at the time, often at theaters in the city.[5] Students were taught a variety of vocational trades, including shop and farming.[4]
During the 1920s, housing space for students was found lacking with a shortage of 70 beds. A tent was used as temporary housing and the original dormitory's first floor was remodeled into sleeping quarters. Students, under supervision, helped to construct a 40feetx148feetft (xft) dairy barn on the grounds beginning in late 1924. The training school during the 1920s provided their own milk by using a stable of cows; the dairy production also provided for the needs of the Grand Mound girls' school. Green Hill, continuing to field a band, organized an orchestra and pupils were taught music theory.[6]
The school faced severe damages totaling $2 million from the 1949 Olympia earthquake. Two buildings were torn down in the aftermath and two dormitories were declared as condemned. Over 30 boys were sent home, to be recalled back later, due to crowded conditions from the lack of housing at the school.[7]
Despite being a place of incarcerated individuals, the training school initially did not have any fencing or attentive security, allowing students to escape with some ease until the 1970s.[3] Building a security fence became of importance in the late 1950s and early 1960s due to a larger amount of escapes and subsequent increases in crime, particularly auto theft and property damage, caused by the runaways.[8] Attempts to fund and build a security fence were undertaken in 1963. Considered unnecessary by the superintendent of Green Hill at the time, large settlements paid out by the state due to the escapee damages had surpassed the cost of constructing a fence.[9] Though it passed the state Senate, it failed to pass the House by the session deadline.[10] [11] With the negative attention on escapes and runaway crimes,[12] the facility, by way of the student council, undertook a public relations tour in Chehalis and Centralia during the early 1970s. Students volunteered on various projects in the Twin Cities, including clearing land during the early stages of the creation of Stan Hedwall Park, repairing damages due to floods at the Southwest Washington Fairgrounds, and assisting senior citizens in helping to maintain their yards and homes.[13]
The facility undertook the moniker, Green Hill School, and the grounds, listed as 35acres, were officially annexed by the city in 1972.[14]
The facility was reassigned under the oversight of the Washington State Department of Children, Youth and Families (DCYF) in July 2019, part of a statewide transfer of juvenile facilities from the state's Department of Social and Health Services (DSHS).
Due to issues with overcrowding, the state temporarily suspended the residency of any newly sentenced juvenile offender to Green Hill in July 2024. With a target capacity of up to 180 incarcerated people, the facility saw an increase of 30% above the threshold in one year, reaching 240 by mid-2024.[15] The rise in population, attributed to the passage of the JR to 25 law, was accompanied by increased violence and other unsafe behaviors, limiting rehabilitation efforts as well as leading to higher risks to support staff.[16] [17] Less than a week later, 43 inmates over the age of 21 who had sentences that would continue past the age of 25, were transferred from Green Hill to an adult prison in Shelton, Washington.[18] The 43 men were moved back to Green Hill two weeks later after an order from a Thurston County Superior Court judge, finding that the DCYF was in violation of a settlement agreement requiring the agency to provide advanced notice, attorney representation, and court hearings to residents before being transferred.[19] [20]
The state guidelines for solitary confinement of juveniles was changed due to a lawsuit brought in 2018 that highlighted excessive use of the punishment at Green Hill. The DCYF implemented policies restricting the use of solitary confinement and provided additional procedures for strip searches, including the application of restraints against refusing inmates.[21]
A 2019 federal audit, part of a mandated 3-year inspection under the Prison Rape Elimination Act of 2003 (PREA), found that the facility was out of compliance regarding the proper proportion of employees to residents which led to an increase of sexual abuse and a vulnerability for other safety issues. The report stated that the school is required to have an 8:1 staff to detainee ratio. A following inspection that same year by the Washington State Department of Labor and Industries (LNI) found no health code violations but advocated for additional inspections for the safety and training of staff.[22]
In 2021, a sexual abuse lawsuit originally filed in 2018 was settled for $2.1 million. The case, brought by 10 former juvenile residents, stem from allegations of a pattern of pervasive abuse occurring at the facility between 1976 and 2008.[23] Additionally in the same year, a guard was convicted of a federal bribery charge after an FBI investigation revealed the employee accepted cash over several years from school residents or their family, in exchange for providing contraband, such as marijuana and cell phones.[24]
An investigation started in 2022 by a combined task force of local and Washington state agencies, known as the Joint Narcotics Enforcement Team (JNET), began after a teenage resident survived a fentanyl overdose at the school. The JNET was able to seize more than 1,000 pills and it led to drug charges of four people. Hiring practices were augmented after an incident that year when a security officer, who was previously an inmate at Green Hill, was involved in a drive-by shooting with a recently released student. The JNET investigation renewed in 2023 after additional reports of drugs on the campus. During a warrant search, JNET found numerous stores of contraband taken from students going back to 2017, including large amounts of illicit substances and detailed information on illegal transactions.[25] [26] [27] The warrant and seizures of evidence did not lead to further investigation by the state's Attorney General office, as it was noted that increased security measures, as well as employee screening, for the facility had been installed or implemented.[28] Charges and arraignments stemming from the investigation were brought forth in the county in early 2024, which included several inmates and a staff member.[29]
The 2023 year included filed charges of twelve riots, with an additional eight cases based on the 2022 JNET investigation.[30] The largest of the riots included an August standoff with detention staff involving 6 students[31] and a September incident involving nine residents of the school who were arraigned on felony prison riot charges stemming from a fight.[32] Another brawl, also involving nine students, occurred one week later, with a felony riot charge submitted to the Lewis County Superior Court. Of the total riots, two were tied to gang-related activity.[33]
After the facility became of use as a detention center only for boys, Green Hill was eventually established specifically for older adolescent males.[3] Adult males could be kept at the facilities until the age of 21 but a law, known as JR to 25 and passed in 2018, allowed for males who were incarcerated for crimes made prior to the age of 18 could remain at Green Hill up to the age of 25.[34] [35] After passage of JR to 25, Green Hill saw increases in crime, specifically drug and gang related activity, as well as riots. Security on the grounds were improved, with attention to additional staffing, patrols, security equipment and screening, restrictions for visits or to limit aggression, and additional educational opportunities.[36]
Green Hill School provides vocational training, including courses for automobile maintenance, carpentry, and cosmetology. Beginning in 2019, opportunities for students to earn an associate or bachelor degree were implemented, joining in a partnership with Centralia College the following year that also provides job training. The first associate's degree awarded occurred in 2022 and a group of eleven students were the inaugural recipients of a bachelor's degree in 2024.[37]
A team of seven teenage residents at Green Hill were awarded first prize at the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration's competition, the National Anti-Fentanyl Awareness Youth Challenge. The award was for the group's song and accompanying video, Dark Road. The video was produced in partnership with The Bridge Music Project, an Olympia non-profit, and the youth group was the only winner that included members living in a juvenile rehabilitation center.[38]
, the average length of stay for a student was 272 days. Green Hill School has a target goal of no more than 150 residents at any one time.[16]
The academics of Green Hill School is overseen by the Chehalis School District but full funding is provided by the state of Washington.[39]
, additional funds are raised by charging parents or guardians of incarcerated students a fee. The monies are used to cover incarceration and treatment costs. Known as "parent pay", the fee requirement has existed since 1977 and is an additional monetary requirement above restitution. Despite the DCYF rejecting the need for the system based on concerns of poverty and the program disproportionally affecting people of color, the policy remains in effect.[40]
The school grounds include the Lewis County Juvenile Court Administration and courthouse. Directed by a county approved contract of $7.2 million, the administration buildings, including an additional courtroom and outdoor recreation areas, were remodeled and enlarged in 2023.[41]
Students have access to a center on the grounds that provides a wide variety of physical, mental, and emotional health activities. Known as the Green Hill School Recreation and Wellness Center, the zero-energy building is landscaped with rain gardens and consists of gyms, a covered sports area, a swimming pool, and an indoor multi-use room.[42] [43]