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Bipartisan Effort to Reform Juvenile Prisons
Republicans at the Wisconsin Capitol are cheering Gov. Tony Evers’ push to end the federal agreement that rules the state’s juvenile prisons, but they say that can’t be the end.
Gov. Evers on Wednesday announced “the completion of successful reforms at Lincoln Hills and Copper Lake Schools.”
He also asked the federal government to end the consent decree that laid out specific goals and requirements for the two juvenile detention centers.
“Moving beyond the consent decree is a key moment in Wisconsin’s efforts to reform juvenile corrections,” said DOC Secretary Jared Hoy.
"Now, it is our responsibility as a state to prove that these reforms are here to stay, and that we’re committed to seeing this through to the end by opening new state-of-the art facilities so we can move kids closer to home safely and close Lincoln Hills and Copper Lake as youth facilities once and for all—an effort I am hopeful members of the Legislature will join me on in 2026," Evers added.
Sen. Van Wanggaard, R-Racine, said he's ready to close Lincoln Hills. In fact, Wanggaard said he's been ready to close it for years.
“For the last eight years, Republicans have been trying to close and convert Lincoln Hills. In his first budget, Governor Evers sought to permanently delay the closing of Lincoln Hills without a comprehensive corrections plan. It took 7 years for him to present a plan," Wanggaard said. "I see no reason that Lincoln Hills cannot be closed by the end of the biennium, and we can put this sad chapter behind us.”
Closing Lincoln Hills and Copper Lake has been difficult, in part because of Gov. Evers' desire to incarcerate fewer people. There has also been a years-long delay in finding suitable replacements for the two centers.
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