TeamChild Statement on the Proposed Closure of Naselle Youth Camp

TeamChild supports closing all youth carceral institutions and ending detention and incarceration of youth.  We believe that youth should remain in their communities to receive support they need and participate in restorative accountability processes defined by their communities.

We support the closure of Naselle Youth Camp and other institutions. The decision to close Naselle through a budget proviso during the 2022 legislative session failed to allow for a thoughtful public discussion or careful planning for the needs and placement of those youth who are currently or would otherwise be placed at Naselle. We are committed to working with individual youth who are impacted by Naselle’s closure, as well as working with community and institutions on the planning and process of this closure.

It is critical for there to be thoughtful and inclusive planning for the needs of all youth as we move them away from incarceration and into community settings. We strongly believe youth should not be moved from Naselle to maximum security settings. Accordingly, we strongly urge the reinvestment of the cost savings of closing Naselle into the communities directly impacted by youth incarceration.