DSHS is Moving Dangerous Sexual Predators to Small WA Town

Jay Inslee and the Washington State Department of Health Services are moving some of Washington's worst sexual predators to a facility in a tiny town in Washington with limited security and a huge cost to taxpayers!

What is McNeil Island in Washington State?

The Special Commitment Center on McNeil Island in Washington holds the worst sexual predators in the state. These inmates are referred to as "residents" who are level-3 sex offenders and are the most likely to re-offend in the future. The island sits off the shores of Seattle and has been the location of 2 different facilities run by the Washington Department of Health and Social Services for years to house the most dangerous sexual predators the state has.

Washington Law SB 5163 - 2021-22

Washington legislation was passed in 2021 that made it easier for the state to redistribute sexual predators in smaller private facilities around the state. SB 5163 - 2021-22 changes the definitions of a previous law allowing for easier distribution to other less secure facilities. It also creates fair share principles that state "means that each county has adequate options for conditional release housing placements in a number generally equivalent to the number of residents from that county who are subject to total confinement pursuant to this chapter." That means each county in Washington is now responsible for providing confinement for their own sexual predators. You can read the entire law by clicking here. One small town in Washington State has started to protest after finding one of those locations is in their own backyard with no security.

Washington Moving 5 Sexual Predators to Tenino

A private company that provides housing for sexual predators called Supreme Living Residential Care Services has just purchased a new location in rural Tenino. The 4-bedroom house was purchased on February 18, 2022, for $1,100,00.00 by the company and will be used to house sexual predators released from McNeil Island. The property overlooks a private lake and sits on 15 acres of land and opens on February 1, 2023, according to My Northwest.

Monthly Costs Per Resident are Staggering

The 5,200-foot square home built for the new Supreme Living location was sold for $1,100,000.00 to the private company, but they will make their money back from Washington State quickly. The company is charging $38,000 per month per resident until the facility is filled with a total of 5 residents. When the facility is full, they will lower the cost to $20,000 a month per resident or $100,000 per month charged to the State of Washington taxpayer. The company could make $152,000 per month with the facility until it fills up. At that rate, the facility purchase price is paid for in under 8 months and then the company benefits after.

Tenino Protests the Sexual Predator Housing

The town has recently organized a demonstration to protest the decision and delivered a petition with over 2,600 signatures to the Washington Capital. The town is concerned with the safety and security of the people and children in the area. One woman said it very clearly, "they have been cared for on McNeil because they can't get in the water and swim away. You can get away from an unprotected house in a rural neighborhood in Tenino."

Is the Tenino Supreme Living Location Safe?

The citizens of the town of Tenino are very concerned with the safety of the kids and residents of their area. The address for the location is 2813 140th Ave SW,
Tenino, WA 98589 and you can learn a lot about the location from the old real estate posting on Redfin. The house is about 4.5 miles away from 2 different elementary schools in the area that house 623 students. There is also a local middle school and high school about the same distance away with another almost 700 students. The area is not fenced and there has been no talk of adding one for safety. You can also see from the picture above that they are within eyesight of their nearest neighbor and a mile away from the nearest bus stop.

Are Facilities Like This Coming to Your Washington County?

The law makes it clear that every county must shoulder the responsibility of housing sexual predators in their area. Expect more facilities like this one to pop up in every county in Washington State that convicts sexual predators. As citizens make sure you stay aware of the area where you live and talk to your local representatives about any concerns you might have about any future facilities being added in your home county. Hopefully, the decision to stop or at the very least secure this facility in Tineno goes in favor of the citizens of the town, or the rest of Washington State will pay by the precedent set.