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Wisconsin selects site for new youth prison

Wisconsin Department of Corrections

Wisconsin is another step closer to closing Lincoln Hills and Copper Lake youth prisons in Lincoln County.

Tuesday, Governor Evers announced the Department of Corrections has selected a site for the new youth prison. It will be in northwest Milwaukee.

The Milwaukee Common Council is expected to hold a special meeting later this week to provide initial support for the site, allowing the state to initiate the process toward building a new facility.

It’s been the goal for several years now to close the youth prisons in Lincoln County and build a facility closer to where many of the kids and teens are from.

For years, the youth prisons have faced claims of abuse and unsafe working conditions.

In 2019, the state has spent more than $25 million in legal fees and settlement agreements resulting from abuse and maltreatment at the youth facilities.

A 2017 bill was meant to close Lincoln Hills and Copper Lake last year and build a new facility. The state missed that deadline.

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