Auditor says staffing levels low at juvenile facility in Chehalis

CHEHALIS — A federal auditor says Washington state’s maximum-security lock-up for juvenile offenders has sub-standard staffing levels.

KING-TV reports this creates dangerous conditions for both workers and the young offenders housed there.

The Green Hill School, in Chehalis, is “out of compliance on most shifts” and this “makes the facility highly vulnerable for.sexual abuse incidents” and other safety problems, according to a US Department of Justice auditor.

The audit confirms a February report by the KING 5 Investigators that revealed 478 assaults were recorded at Green Hill, according to documents from the Washington Department of Social and Health Services.

Sixty-nine of those assaults, most of them on staff members, were referred to Chehalis police for criminal charges.

Current and former Green Hill employees say under-staffing was the primary reason that assaults couldn’t be brought under control.