Lincoln Hills - Copper Lake

A security fence surrounds the entrance to the Lincoln Hills School for Boys and Copper Lake School for girls complex in rural Irma, Wis., in this file photo. 

Photo: Dan Young

Gov. Scott Walker’s decision to close the Lincoln Hills and Copper Lake state-run youth correctional facilities in Irma is long overdue and clearly politically motivated, say progressive leaders in the state.

Walker’s announcement Jan. 4 came at the start of the year in which he’s running for re-election, although the problems at the institutions are years old.

“Walker’s statement … comes more than six years after he was notified of extensive problems happening at Lincoln Hills, three years after a criminal investigation of the facility, six months after a federal judge put restrictions on how Lincoln Hills operates and a month after federal prosecutors notified two former guards they could be charged with crimes,” said state Sen. Chris Larson, D-Milwaukee.

The governor’s move followed an injunction secured by the American Civil Liberties Union of Wisconsin and Juvenile Law Center through a federal class-action lawsuit on behalf of imprisoned youth. The suit concerned the administration’s use of solitary confinement, pepper spray, shackling and strip searches of children.

Larry Dupuis, legal director of the ACLU of Wisconsin, said, “While this is a step in the right direction, we will continue to pay attention to how young people are treated while they are being moved from the current facilities. Our lawsuit is against the Department of Corrections officials — not just LHS/CLS.”

“The closing of Lincoln Hills and Copper Lake … is fantastic news,” said Jessica Feierman, associate director of Juvenile Law Center. “This is a huge step forward for Wisconsin. We are relieved that the state is moving away from a model that just doesn’t work — large youth prisons that violate the Constitution and are dangerous to youth.”

Other leaders in Wisconsin’s progressive community focused on Walker’s political maneuvering in a year in which he’s running for re-election:

• Senate Democratic Leader Jennifer Shilling said, “The timing of this announcement is so transparent and does nothing to address the immediate safety concerns for staff and youth. The counselors and youth need help, and the only person who is in a position to do anything refuses to step foot in the facility.”

• “Walker has systemically failed the juveniles and staff members at Lincoln Hills with incompetent leadership and serious under-staffing,” said state Rep. Chris Taylor, D-Madison. “Democrats have put forth solutions for years that would ensure the safety and humane treatment of everyone at the facility — those proposals have been consistently ignored by Republican legislators and the Walker administration.”

• “As usual, the governor is a day late and a dollar short on helping Wisconsin’s most vulnerable populations,” said state Sen. Lena Taylor, D-Milwaukee.

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