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DCYF warns juvenile facilities face growing population, capacity and staffing shortfalls
Summary
DCYF officials told the Early Learning & Human Services Committee that juvenile rehabilitation (JR) populations are growing and aging, driven by adult‑sentenced youth and longer stays; the department urged more beds, targeted bed types, and staffing changes while highlighting community transition services (CTS) successes and data limitations.
The Department of Children, Youth and Families told the Early Learning & Human Services Committee that Washington’s juvenile rehabilitation population is increasing and getting older, driven largely by youth serving adult sentences and longer lengths of stay.
Jennifer Redmond, juvenile rehabilitation assistant secretary, said the department’s residential population was 400 across three secure facilities and eight community sites as of the previous day, and that Caseload Forecast Council modeling projects about 481 residents by 2031. “That particular population is where we’re seeing a bulk of our growth,” Redmond said, pointing to adult‑sentenced youth who can remain in JR until age 25 before transferring to the Department of Corrections.
The department outlined several drivers of crowding and program strain: intake rates exceed release rates, a small number of secure facilities limits flexibility, and a growing share of…
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