Re: “WA lawmakers aim to relieve strained juvenile legal system” (March 17, Regulation & Justice):
Washington state’s incarcerated youth are dealing with a psychological well being disaster that calls for pressing consideration. Latest experiences exposing the inhumane residing circumstances at Inexperienced Hill Faculty, the state’s largest juvenile facility, replicate a systemic failure to handle youth trauma and psychological well being wants. Youth are retroactively charged by Lewis County prosecutors for incidents that usually outcome from the violence and instability inside Inexperienced Hill.
Analysis exhibits over 80% of incarcerated youth have a historical past of trauma, suicidality or critical psychological sickness (Kim et al., 2021). As a substitute of receiving remedy, they’re criminalized additional. A overview by Gagnon et al. (2022) confirms that the majority juvenile amenities fail to offer sufficient, evidence-based psychological well being care. Youth at Inexperienced Hill report isolation, abuse and lack of therapeutic help, which solely worsens their trauma (Barnert et al., 2015).
We’d like daring motion: Cease retroactive charging for incidents in unsafe, traumatizing amenities. Develop community-based diversion applications, so youth obtain remedy, not punishment.
Ignoring these points harms youth, households and communities. Washington should select therapeutic over punishment. These youngsters aren’t misplaced causes, they’re in disaster.
Joselyn Solalindez, Seattle (social work scholar, counselor)
