New Wisconsin youth correctional center to open in Milwaukee
New Wisconsin youth detention center to open in Milwaukee
The state’s newest youth correctional center on the city’s northwest side will open in November, as a part of a plan to replace the troubled Lincoln Hills and Copper Lake facilities in northern Wisconsin.
MILWAUKEE - The state’s newest youth correctional center on the city’s northwest side will open in November, as a part of a plan to replace the troubled Lincoln Hills and Copper Lake facilities in northern Wisconsin.
Southeast Regional Care Center
What To Know:
The Southeast Regional Care Center (SRCC), located in an industrial area on Clinton Avenue, near 76th and Good Hope, will eventually house 32 boys from southeastern Wisconsin.
"What I’ve learned is that kids want to do well, they just don’t have the skills to do well," said Kashunda Brown, a DOC Juvenile Youth Counselor at the SRCC.
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Brown has worked as a DOC counselor for incarcerated youths for four years in Dane County, at Grow Academy. The new youth prison gave her an opportunity to move back to the city she grew up in and work with youth, close to home.
"Hey, you’re emotional today. What can we do? You’re upset. What are we going to do?" said Brown, as she detailed how counselors work with youth, on a daily basis. "Are we going to go out and do some hoops, are we going to talk about the pros and cons? How are we going to figure this out, in real time?"
"Closer to home" model
Big picture view:
The $65 million, 32-bed SRCC is intended to provide youth offenders with an education, therapy, and rebuild their and their families' lives.
"We know what works to reduce recidivism: treatment, treating people with dignity and respect, and having environments that aren’t further traumatizing kids," said Wisconsin Department of Corrections Division of Juvenile Corrections Administrator Lance Horozewski.
Horozewski says the SRCC, and other youth facilities, are part of the DOC’s "Closer to Home" model, that’s being adopted in Wisconsin.
The SRCC, and the larger shift in juvenile corrections, has been in the works for nearly a decade. The passage of Act 185 in 2017 called for the closure of Lincoln Hills and Copper Lake as youth facilities by 2029, and convert the campus to a 500-bed campus for adults.
The DOC will begin transitioning the youth housed at the troubled correctional centers to smaller, community-based facilities in or near the communities they’re from, like the SRCC, starting next month.
"Our goal is to build youth skills, while they’re here," Horozewski said. "Build that capacity — connect them with community resources — that they can continue with in the community."
"This is a special day, but it took years and years to get to this point," said Gov. Tony Evers.
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Evers and other DOC officials, including Secretary Jared Hoy, were on hand to tour the SRCC Wednesday morning, which includes classrooms, metal and woodshops, and a recording studio.
"They’re in a prison," Evers said, when asked about how some might view the amenities provided for the young people convicted of serious crimes. "But they are in a place where they’re going to be learning, growing, and be able to get out and get back to their families and the community as soon as possible."
The Juvenile Corrections Division takes care of the state’s youngest offenders, who can range in age from as young as 10 to 25-years-old. When the first youth move into the SRCC, Brown will be waiting.
"The kids that we do serve, at the end of the day, they’re all kids," she said. "
The DOC says it's working on hiring additional staff for the new facility. Work is also underway on a similar youth prison in Dane County, with a planned third facility in northern Wisconsin.
The Source: FOX6 got an inside look at the facility and spoke with DOC officials to produce this story.