A top Democrat has called out the Walker Administration concerning alleged lack of action over the years at the Lincoln Hills and Copper Lake facility in Lincoln county.
The state juvenile correction facility has been rocked by abuse allegations that has led to an FBI and state investigation. State Senate Minority Leader Jennifer Shilling of LaCrosse says the Assembly is out of session, and the state Senate will likely adjourn in a couple of weeks. She says she's concerned there's no urgency on behalf of majority Republicans to address the issues at the Irma facility...
"...I don't see any legislative urgency from legislative Republicans and the Governor to address concerns and these really heinous allegations that have taken place at Lincoln Hills...."
She also says Republicans have closed ranks as the issue has come forward...
"....rather than addressing these issues, there appears to be an effort among legislative Republicans to cover up or dismiss Governor Walker's mishandling of this situation...."
Shilling says the Walker Administration knew of the problems in years past but did not take action to correct the problems.
Late Thursday, Walker administration spokesperson Laurel Patrick responded with this email:
"
The safety and wellbeing of the youth and staff at the Lincoln Hills School is Governor Walker's top priority. Here is important background for your information. As we understand it, the Department of Corrections became aware of possible mistreatment of youth at the Lincoln Hills School late in 2014. The Department took action and placed the individuals involved on administrative leave. At the time, DOC notified the local sheriff's office, and DOC proactively referred the investigation to the Department of Justice. Throughout the DOJ investigation, it's our understanding that DOC coordinated directly on the investigation and took personnel action when appropriate. On November 25, DOJ provided a preliminary update on their ongoing investigation to the Governor's Chief Counsel. On December 2, DOJ met with the Governor's Chief of Staff to brief him on their ongoing investigation after a serious incident involving a youth at the facility. Immediately after being briefed on the issue later that day, Governor Walker directed Secretary Wall to take the most aggressive action possible to ensure the safety of all juveniles and staff at the facility. At the Governor's direction, on December 2, Secretary Wall was also directed to immediately move forward with the following actions: * Pursue swift and aggressive personnel action against all staff who have engaged in wrongdoing; * Implement an improved reporting structure whereby every incident of harm in this facility is directly reported to the Secretary's office; * Conduct a comprehensive review of protocols and procedures at the facility, specifically documentation related to incidents of harm and use of force; and * Review and update all training methods for staff at the facility. On December 4, Secretary Wall provided our office with an update. Additionally, that same week, our office directed the Department of Administration to leverage their human resources expertise to assist on the personnel investigations that are ongoing at Lincoln Hills School. We will continue to monitor this issue closely and will make sure all steps are taken to hold every individual involved in wrongdoing accountable and to keep the youth and staff safe."
