A new juvenile correctional facility will be built on Milwaukee’s north side – one of two new facilities planned to replace the Lincoln Hills School for Boys and Copper Lake School for Girls.
Gov. Tony Evers announced Tuesday a Type 1 juvenile facility is planned for the intersection of Teutonia Avenue and Mill Road in Milwaukee, a site identified as being accessible for visiting family members. The remote location of Lincoln Hills and Copper Lake in Irma, more than a three-hour drive from Milwaukee, has been a common criticism of the state’s current juvenile justice system.
About 65 percent of the youth currently at Lincoln Hills and Copper Lake are from Milwaukee County.
The other juvenile correctional facility will be located in Hortonia in Outagamie County, Evers announced. The two new facilities will be run by the state Department of Corrections and Department of Administration.
“We are committed to getting kids out of Lincoln Hills and closer to home as soon as we safely and responsibly can,” said Gov. Evers. “Today’s announcements show significant action towards our shared goal of ensuring kids get the education, programming and mental health treatment they need in supportive settings that are closer to their families and communities.”
Act 185, which Gov. Scott Walker signed into law in 2018, mandates that Lake Hills School and Copper Lake School will be closed by January 2021, but Evers has proposed delaying that deadline.
In addition to the new state-run correctional facilities, Milwaukee County plans to open a secure youth residential center, which would include education, rehabilitation and workforce training to integrate young people back into the community. A location has not been determined, but county officials estimate they would need 5.5 acres for the new facility. It’s expected to house about 40 youth at any given time.
Evers announced Tuesday the appointment of Rep. David Crowley of Milwaukee as chair of a juvenile corrections grant committee and Sharlen Moore, co-founder of Urban Underground, as the committee’s nonprofit representative. The committee will determine grants to counties to begin construction of the secure youth residential centers.
“Research shows that children in incarceration make significant strides toward positive change when they are closer to their communities and loved ones,” said Kevin Carr, DOC secretary-designee. “I look forward to working with the grant committee and Wisconsin counties to develop a network of local opportunities to support our youth.”
