In the News

by Jason Stein

Democratic officials at the state and federal level are calling for action on a Northwoods prison that is under investigation for alleged abuses of its juvenile prisoners.

U.S. Rep. Gwen Moore of Milwaukee sent a letter to Federal Bureau of Investigation director James Comey on Wednesday asking that her office be briefed on the investigation being conducted by state Department of Justice and FBI agents into the Lincoln Hills School for Boys and Copper Lake School for Girls, which share a campus 30 miles north of Wausau.

On Monday, state lawmakers of both parties visited the prison, with Democratic Reps. Mandela Barnes and Evan Goyke of Milwaukee expressing deep concern about conditions at the school, where a majority of the inmates are from the state's largest city.

Moore cited a Milwaukee Journal Sentinel report that found that the probe into the prison intensified after a Nov. 29 incident in which a staff member shoved an inmate into his room and slammed the door, catching the youth's foot against the jamb and leaving it so mangled that toes had to be amputated.

"I fear that, without swift intervention, these inmates are at serious risk of becoming another faceless member of our seemingly endless school-to-prison pipeline. I am determined to fulfill our promise to help these youth become productive and successful members of our society," Moore wrote.

At least two top corrections officials have left their jobs and at least 10 workers have been put on paid leave — some going back to early 2015 — as part of the investigation into Lincoln Hills that was launched at the request of corrections officials.

Gov. Scott Walker's administration has pointed to that referral to law enforcement and a host of recently announced changes, including broad reviews of staff use of force, more training and rules for staff as well as additional video and body cameras for workers and the prison itself. Corrections spokeswoman Joy Staab said Tuesday she was working on getting more information on the legislators' visit.

Over the past year, the Walker administration has heard concerns about safety at the prison from Milwaukee County officials, union officials, current and former employees, and state Rep. Mary Czaja (R-Irma). Those concerns have included emails and phone calls to Walker's office.

On Monday, Barnes — the ranking minority member on the Assembly Corrections Committee — and Goyke, the ranking Democratic member on the Assembly Criminal Justice Committee, visited Lincoln Hills and Copper Lake. They also met separately with members of the prison workers union. The two lawmakers said they are still concerned about the safety of inmates and staff.

"In fact, Wisconsin Republicans were made aware of reports of unsafe behavior and a toxic environment at Lincoln Hills up to a year ago — yet, they failed to act on these systemic failures that put our youth and staff in harm's way," Barnes said in a statement. "It is time to stand up and demand answers and provide solutions to fix our broken corrections system and ensure the safety of youth, inmates, and staff at Lincoln Hills and other facilities across our state."

Goyke said state officials need to quickly provide enough staffing at the prison to ensure safety there and then start a discussion about how to improve the work with juveniles there.

In addition to the Democratic lawmakers, Czaja; Rep. Rob Hutton (R-Brookfield), the chairman of the Corrections Committee; and Sen. Tom Tiffany (R-Hazelhurst) also visited the prison Monday. None of them could be reached for comment.

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