EXPO Wisconsin
Gov. Tony Evers signs into law new plan to move teens out of Lincoln Hills youth prison
April 9, 2022
By Molly Beck, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel April 8, 2022
MADISON – Teenage offenders in Wisconsin will no longer be incarcerated in northern Wisconsin, often hours away from family members, under a new law Gov. Tony Evers signed Friday that will create a new facility in Milwaukee County.
Evers’ action is the second time in four years a Wisconsin governor has moved to stop sending children to a facility in Lincoln County plagued with dangerous conditions for most of its decade of life as the state’s only youth prison.
“For years, legislators have been talking about closing Lincoln Hills and Copper Lake as a juvenile facility while simultaneously delaying and obstructing plans to do so,” Evers said in a statement. “… these kids will be closer to home, their families, and their support networks, so we can set them up for better success both while they are in our care and when they re-enter our communities.”