DCYF Announces Safety and Security Improvements
for JR Facilities
Olympia, WA – As part of an ongoing and concerted effort to address safety and security concerns at its Juvenile Rehabilitation (JR) facilities across the state, the Department of Children, Youth, and Families (DCYF) announces its most recent infrastructure upgrades and enhanced protocols at Echo Glen Children’s Center.
“Safety and security are our top priorities; we can’t focus on rehabilitation without keeping our staff, residents, and community safe,” said DCYF’s Assistant Secretary of Juvenile Rehabilitation Felice Upton.
DCYF has requested and received significant infrastructure investments, including new perimeter fencing at the Echo Glen campus to create a single point of entry, improving the front gate to restrict vehicular access, and improving site lighting and surveillance on campus.
Additionally, over the past two years, DCYF has successfully secured multiple pay increases, and employee supports for Echo Glen staff, including a 9% pay increase for staff effective July 1, changes in schedules to improve shift information sharing and increase staff coverage, and contracting with security guards to provide relief for staff.
“I want to make it clear; we are not taking action now due to recent incidents at Echo Glen; most of these changes were in the works as a result of us identifying longstanding problems that often require complex infrastructure fixes,” explained Upton.
Following the recent incident at Echo Glen, Juvenile Rehabilitation’s newly developed Critical Incident Review Team (CIRT), comprised of people from outside facility management, completed their review, which provided recommendations to address risk and root causes. All feedback from the report is added to a corrective action plan that will mitigate future risks.
Several individuals have been referred for investigation for failure to follow safety policies and procedures. We cannot discuss individual cases, especially while investigations are active and ongoing.
“We have safety protocols in place for a reason; personnel action in just cause proceedings can include all action up to and including termination for the most egregious offenses,” said Upton.
As a result of the CIRT Review, DCYF made many immediate changes, including clear enforcement of existing safety and security policy and the hiring of a permanent Superintendent. Additional training and support are also being offered.
“Things are changing, and, in many areas, they have changed but not at the pace that they need to keep up with staff turnover and changes in our JR population,” Upton said. “We continue to work on enhancing our environment so that all people feel safe and where community safety is not at risk.”
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Contact:
Nancy Gutierrez, Communications Administrator | 360-789-3451 | nancy.gutierrez@dcyf.wa.gov
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