LACEY, Wash. — Washington State will no longer take in juvenile offenders due to capacity issues in some rehabilitation centers.
According to the Washington State Department of Children, Youth and Families (DCYF), they will indefinitely suspend the acceptance and placement of sentenced juvenile offenders, no matter how severe the crime.
The Washington Association of Sheriffs and Police Chiefs (WASPC) said the situation is largely of the State’s own making.
“The state’s overcrowding problem in Juvenile Rehabilitation Centers has been known for some time, and not taking responsibility for the housing of offenders places the public at furth risk,” WASPC said.
According to the WASPC, they are pressing the Washington government to resolve this ongoing issue through any executive or legislative action.
“It is wholly unacceptable to simply stop accepting juveniles who have been sentenced, through due process, for often very violent crimes,” said WASPC. “Victims of crime need to know …