CHEHALIS, Wash. — The former head of Washington’s juvenile detention system says her complaints about “unconstitutional treatment” of inmates and “unsafe conditions” for staff were ignored before she was fired in April.

Former Department of Children, Youth and Families (DCYF) Assistant Secretary Felice Upton filed a $4.75 million tort Aug. 26 against the state claiming that she was fired for being a whistleblower.

Upton says DCYF leaders did not heed her warnings about overcrowding caused by the shutdown of the Naselle Youth Camp in Pacific County. The reduced capacity forced more young inmates into the Green Hill School in Chehalis and Echo Glen Children's Center in Snoqualmie. Conditions were exacerbated by a sharp rise in youth crime that resulted in more offenders being sentenced to

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