State advisory board on juvenile justice asks Inslee to fire director of children's services

Washington’s state advisory board on juvenile justice has called on Gov. Jay Inslee to fire Department of Children, Youth and Families director Ross Hunter amid the agency’s decision to suspend intakes at two state juvenile detention facilities due to overcrowding.

In a press release, the Washington State Partnership Council on Juvenile Justice attributed its decision to “escalating mismanagement of the Department of Children, Youth and Families that has led to the current crisis, eroded trust in the agency, and caused profound harm to the children and youth in its care.”

The Wednesday letter to Inslee also asks for a public apology from the governor and department leadership over the agency’s July 12 decision to transfer 43 young men between the ages of 21 to 25 from Green Hill School in Chehalis, one of the state’s juvenile detention facilities, to adult prison.

The state advisory board called the decision — which was reversed by a Thurston County Superior Court judge after the men were already transferred — an “egregious violation of rights.”

https://washingtonstatestandard.com/2024/07/31/state-advisory-board-on-juvenile-justice-asks-inslee-to-fire-director-of-childrens-services/