The state is asking for an end to court monitoring of the Lincoln Hills and Copper Lake schools in Lincoln County.
The juvenile detention facilities were placed under a ‘consent decree’ by a federal judge after a lawsuit over abuse of children being held at the facilities.
A court approved monitor was put in place to assess progress in meeting 50 court ordered requirements to improve conditions there.
Following the release of a successful report in October, and another successful report this week, Governor Tony Evers says the Department of Corrections is asking the federal court to end the consent decree.
“This has been a goal a decade in the making, and it’s tremendous to be able to celebrate the completion of reforms at Lincoln Hills and Copper Lake schools today,” said Gov. Evers.
“This is a win for our state, a win for youth in our care, and a win for those who dedicate their time and energy to supporting the needed advancement of our justice system.”
DOC’s motion to end the decree was filed simultaneously with the monitor’s report.
The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), the plaintiff in a 2017 lawsuit over conditions at the schools under the previous administration that resulted in the consent decree, is not opposing the decree’s end.
“Moving beyond the consent decree is a key moment in Wisconsin’s efforts to reform juvenile corrections,” said DOC Secretary Jared Hoy.
“Countless DOC employees have been working diligently since 2017 to make much-needed reforms to Wisconsin’s juvenile facilities and toward a new model that prioritizes education, therapy, and strengthening family and community ties. This gets us one step closer toward closing Lincoln Hills and Copper Lake schools and placing youth into modern facilities closer to home.”
Efforts to close the juvenile prisons in Lincoln County have been ongoing but depend on new facilities coming online elsewhere in the state.
The plan would be for the facilities in Lincoln County to then be converted to adult prisons.
