Wisconsin's Lincoln Hills youth prison; judge ends oversight

Judge ends youth prison oversight

A judge is ending court oversight of Lincoln Hills, Wisconsin's troubled youth prison. It took seven-and-a-half years to get the all-clear.

MILWAUKEE - A judge is ending court oversight of Lincoln Hills, Wisconsin's troubled youth prison. It took seven-and-a-half years to get the all-clear. 

Lincoln Hills oversight ending

What we know:

Wisconsin Youth Prison Lincoln Hills once faced allegations of excessive use of pepper spray, excessive confinement, and not properly investigating sexual misconduct allegations.

In 2017, the ACLU of Wisconsin helped  file a class action lawsuit. 

"The conditions were ones that the judge would classify as cruel and unusual. There was the regular use of pepper spray on the youth who were there. There were youth as young as 14 being held in solitary confinement for months at a time," said Tim Muth, ACLU of Wisconsin.

FREE DOWNLOAD: Get breaking news alerts in the FOX LOCAL Mobile app for iOS or Android

In 2018, Federal Judge James Peterson approved a settlement "consent decree," requiring 50 changes. Seven-and-a-half years later, he has given the all-clear. 

All-clear, and here's why

Dig deeper:

In every quarter, a court-appointed monitor inspected the site and interviewed youths and staff. In the last two quarterly reports, the monitor found "substantial compliance" with all 50 required changes. The monitor, Teresa Abreu, wrote the following: 

"This accomplishment reflects years of deliberate and meaningful reform, including the elimination of OC [pepper] spray, the removal of punitive room confinement, the reduction of restraint usage and confinement in general, the use of MANDT, the implementation of a robust behavior management system and programming, efforts to reduce idleness, and a strong emphasis on staff wellness. These measures have produced a demonstrable improvement in the safety, climate, and culture of the facilities. Sustaining these reforms and maintaining a commitment to continuous improvement must remain a top priority, not just to protect youth and staff but also to ensure continued compliance with the Consent Decree, which has now been codified in the Wisconsin Administrative Code. These code provisions govern not only LHS/CLS but also any future Type I facilities."

ACLU weighs in

What they're saying:

"Conditions are considerably better, but it is still a prison. And unfortunately, the state has not lived up to the law that was passed on a bipartisan basis that called for Lincoln Hills to be closed. And in fact, now it looks like, you know, 2027, 2028 at the earliest, Lincoln Hills would be closed," Muth said. 

SIGN UP TODAY: Get daily headlines, breaking news emails from FOX6 News

Lincoln Hills is still open at this time, despite state law that required it to close in 2021. It is likely to stay open a few more years. 

Replacement for Lincoln Hills

What's next:

One of the replacements for Lincoln Hills will come to Milwaukee's northwest side, near 76th and Good Hope Road, where construction is now underway. The governor's office said it is expected the new, smaller youth prison will open in the fall, with room for 32. 

Future site of youth prison in Milwaukee

The state is in the planning stage for another new youth prison in Dane County. 

Lincoln Hills has a capacity for more than 500 boys. But state data showed it housed 71 last week. Neighboring Copper Lake housed ten girls.