PROTECT OUR YOUTH

Protect Our Youth Detained in Washington State Facilities

Community Members in Washington

An Open Letter to the Department of Children, Youth and Families

To: Governor Jay Inslee

CC: Ross Hunter, Secretary of Washington State Department of Children, Youth and Families; Felice Upton, Assistant Secretary of Juvenile Rehabilitation; and Allison Krutsinger,  Public Affairs Director for the Department of Children, Youth, and Families.

The below signed community members and organizations demand immediate action regarding the health and safety of youth detained at Green Hill School.

As family and friends of youth incarcerated at Green Hill school and connected community members, we are deeply concerned for their health and safety. We are seeing Greenhill an already problematic carceral facility with a history of sexual abuse and drug smuggling by guards become an even more dangerous facility where young people are at additional risk of abuse by staff and are being targeted, charged and scapegoated for failures of the institution.

Green Hill states in their handbook, “Our goal at Green Hill School is to help youth and young adults (ages 17 to 25) lead healthy lives by providing a safe, structured, and secure environment where you can learn new skills, develop positive habits, and disengage from the activities that brought you here. Staff at GHS will provide you with opportunities to better yourself, create positive experiences and make the most of your time here.” 

In direct contradiction to the stated mission of Green Hill School, there is an unprecedented number of young people being exposed to abuse, illicit substances and punitive violations to cover up the failures of the institution itself. 

We are deeply very by reports of guards using racial slurs and epithets toward the youth in their care. Experiencing daily racism at the hands of those who have power over you is terrifying and completely unacceptable. Retaliation for speaking out against racism, coercion and abuse is a very real concern.

Our concern for the health and safety of the youth at Green Hill is also greatly aggravated by the reality that a majority of a locked down unit tested positive for substances but the institution continues to pursue charges and violations against individual youth instead of launching an investigation on the staff and guards who have the most opportunity to bring illicit substances into the facility.

Green Hill is responsible for the health and safety of the young people in their care but in reality the institution itself is a threat to their health and safety. 

In addition to the institution presenting a general threat to the health and safety of youth at Green Hill School, the current Superintendent Jason Aldana is ill-equipped to address the age specific needs of emerging adults. He has no experience cultivating environments that support the pro-social and age-appropriate conditions Washington State requires at facilities like Green Hill School. In fact, his experience in adult facilities in Washington Department of Corrections (WADOC) is counterintuitive to the intent of the Washington State Legislature in allowing young people convicted of crimes before the age of 18 to remain in juvenile rehabilitation facilities until the age of 25. His methods, tactics and strategies are the same as those used on adults in DOC. While we do not condone the ways in which  adults are treated in WADOC, we also know that WA State has acknowledged that youth are different than adults and are to be treated differently than adults. Aldana’s methods are inappropriate for all incarcerated peoples in Washington State, but are grossly inappropriate especially for those whom the State acknowledges as youth and young adults–who require age-appropriate supports and environments. 

We Demand:

• Drop all new and recent charges against GHS youth related to contraband and accusations of prison riot

• Stop criminalizing our youth incarcerated at GHS 

• Institute age appropriate responses to disciplinary concerns that do not include extending a youth’s time in JRA or transferring them to DOC

• Complete a full and public investigation of guards, staff and Greenhill as an institution RE: abuse, discrimination, racism, and drug distribution by staff to youth

• Remove Superintendent Jason Aldana

• Release youth to community facilities as soon as space allows & do not make current Policy 6.30 on eligibility more restrictive. 

1 “Second Plaintiff Joins Law School Alleging Culture of Sexual Abuse at Green Hill School,” The Chronica, March 23, 2018, https://www.chronline.com/stories/second-plaintiff-joins-lawsuit-alleging-culture-of-sexual-abuse-at-green-hill-school,18559. 

2 “Former juvenile facility guard pleads guilty in scheme to smuggle contraband into residence for young offenders,” United States Attorney’s Office Western District of Washington, July 6, 2021, https://www.justice.gov/usao-wdwa/pr/former-juvenile-facility-guard-pleads-guilty-scheme-smuggle-contraband-residence-young/. 

ORGANIZATIONAL SIGNATORIES

1. KIDS ARE KIDS

2. East African Community Services (EACS)

3. Quaker Voice on Washington Public Policy

4. BPC Community Group

5. RECLAIM

6. Vocal-WA

7. Collective Justice

8. Surge Reproductive Justice

9. Northwest Community Bail Fund

10. Young Women Empowered

11. Creative Justice

12. Sawhorse Revolution

13. Powerful Voices

14. Falastiniyat

15. FIGHT - Formerly Incarcerated Group Healing Together

16. No New Washington Prisons

17. Freedom Project

18. Compassionate Listening

19. Coalition of Anti -Racist Whites (CARW)

20. Stand for Children WA

21. CHOOSE 180

22. Rainier Beach Action Coalition (RBAC)

23. Wallingford Indivisible

24. Civil Survival

25. Treehouse for Kids

26. UW Law Students for Palestinian Liberation

27. Team Child

INDIVIDUAL SIGNATORIES

1. KL Shannon, Community Organizer

2. Merlin Rainwater

3. Anab

4. Komalpreet Kaur

5. Kimonti Carter

6. Senait Brown

7. nikkita oliver, Esq., M. Ed.

8. Deaunte Damper

9. Na'Quel Walker

10. Johnny

11. Gabriel Teodros

12. Ijeoma Oluo

13. Jackie Vaughn

14. Karisa Morikawa

15. Lauren Tozzi

16. Emily Reilly

17. Florence Sum

18. Ray Carter

19. Kathryn Williams

20. Niko Williams

21. Chanel Rhymes

22. Jessica

23. Clara O

24. RODNEY RHYMES

25. Anthony Williams

26. Cynthia Stewart

27. Molly Mattingly

28. Leslie McCallum

29. Molly Somerset

30. Cynthia Rhymes

31. Heather Kelly

32. Faolán RH

33. Ray H

34. Katana Sol

35. M Kraft

36. Ashley Seni

37. Katie Bedell

38. Erandy Flores

39. D. Johnston

40. Roxy R

41. Olivia Mitchinson

42. Alex Peterson

43. Erin

44. Dana W

45. Tina McKim

46. Emily Claire Louden

47. First only

48. Tessa Yoder

49. Jo Soderlund

50. Karen Carpenter

51. Dannie Nemes

52. Sol Dressa

53. Julia Szilard

54. Lauren

55. Ejae Goddard

56. Carson Connolly

57. Lillie Geil

58. Sewheat Asfaha

59. Molly Guardino

60. Sierra

61. Lindsay Scarey

62. Austen Weathersby

63. Katrina Go

64. Liam Nold, JD

65. Violet L

66. Sophie Baker

67. Tim Marrinan

68. Milo

69. Linda Vong

70. Annette Klapstein

71. Jo Levien

72. Marcia

73. Nicole DiMichele, MSW

74. Nyasha

75. Kb

76. Dianne Laguerta

77. Ella

78. Kris S.

79. Johnny Mao

80. yaro

81. Josh Hou

82. Coco CM Weber

83. Leah Radecki

84. sam shepard

85. Casandra Harrison

86. Hannah K.

87. Emily Z

88. Lynn Carlson

89. Vivien Manning

90. Ben Blustein

91. Emily Facci

92. Mike Greene

93. Katrina Herzog

94. Corinne D.

95. Kaitlin T

96. Rowan Duran

97. K Schumacher

98. Deanna Ren

99. Leah Wood

100. Daniela Alvarado

101. Selene Russo

102. Stephanie A. Lowry

103. Kelly

104. Ojai

105. Emrys Erickson

106. Alejandra Diaz

107. Carrie Lippy

108. Alyssa Marsh in Solidarity

109. Elisa McGee

110. Natasha Terry

111. Christina Enyeart

112. Nadra Fredj

113. Jennifer

114. Alli Shinn

115. @JustCallMeNas

116. Ayla brown

117. Emily D

118. Samantha Sanchez LSWAIC

119. Anh Ha

120. Bennie Gross

121. Mars Edney

122. CHIMAERA

123. Maddy Kennard

124. Brianna McAfee

125. Claire Smith

126. Devon Player

127. Annie P.

128. Bean Yogi

129. Megan Hulik

130. Allie Pfeiffer

131. Ashley Centers

132. P.G.F.

133. Cause Haun

134. Nadija Beronilla

135. Kate Brunette

136. Tahni J. Nikitins

137. Mollie Smith

138. Moriah Ge

139. Yara A

140. Vanessa Unti

141. Jill Alles

142. Brandon

143. Simon

144. Heather Terral, PhD

145. Elizabeth Belmont

146. Allison Charoni

147. JM Wong

148. sarleen ewen

149. Harper Axelman

150. Karen Pillar

151. Morgan Hoke

152. Jeanne Bula

153. Palmira Figueroa

154. Hannah Manske

155. Ella Shahn

156. Teah O'Neill

157. Chava Monastersky, MSW

158. Devi

159. Kris Melroe

160. Patricia Wittmann-Todd

161. Emma Apsel

162. Tammy S Lianu, LMHC

163. JC Fretz

164. Ingria Jones

165. Jodie Nathan

166. Rabbi Fern Feldman

167. Heidi Whalley

168. D Heisey

169. Faith Chamberlain

170. Erin

171. Susan Partnow

172. Eila Strand

173. Jessica Reiff

174. Andre’s Pacificar

175. Renee Lamberjack

176. Chelsey Sheppard

177. Joe Murray

178. Destinie mullen

179. Coco CM Weber, Educator, Seattle

180. Jude A.

181. HL

182. Faith Peterson

183. Molly Zeldner

184. K Dill

185. Nathan Murphy

186. Zoe Burkland

187. Cause Haun

188. Susan Koppelman, MSW

189. Kia C. Franklin

190. De'Andra Charles

191. Jade Tcimpidis

192. Clio Erignac

193. Rae

194. Ingrid Archibald

195. Keshia Elder

196. Will

197. Aretha Basu

198. Akira Curfman

199. Amanda Hubbard

200. teresa harmon

201. Martha Coleman

202. Mira Noorzham

203. Kay Luft

204. Gella

205. Izzy E

206. Jessica Pavlovic

207. Rell Be Free

208. Tabitha

209. Emily Stone

210. Stephen Randall

211. Wes Kim

212. Liyah

213. Elisa Cozad

214. Arthur Longworth

215. Maryanne Atkins

216. Alexis

217. Deb Carstens

218. Karen Peacey

219. Sara Zier

220. Amanda Vazquez

221. Aiyanna V

222. Sue Han

223. Daniel Lugo

Last updated 3/18/2024