Inside the Washington juvenile prison opening next month

ABERDEEN — For the past few weeks, Kendrick Rochelle has been going to Washington’s overcrowded youth prison in Chehalis to build relationships with the young men held there.

Rochelle is trying to recruit them to join a leadership program at a new juvenile detention center called Harbor Heights on the grounds of an adult prison near Aberdeen, where he’ll serve as superintendent. Harbor Heights is set to open June 9.

He eats lunch with the young men incarcerated at Green Hill School, and just tries to be consistently present. At first, some were skeptical. But Rochelle says he’s been getting two or three applications per day from the men trying to get out of the poor conditions at Green Hill and better themselves.

Rochelle, who grew up without a father, started his career as a correctional officer before moving into criminal justice leadership roles in Ohio, Louisiana, Arkansas and Texas.

https://washingtonstatestandard.com/2025/05/30/inside-the-washington-juvenile-prison-opening-next-month/