Lincoln Hills Photo (courtesy of the Department of Corrections)

The court-issued monitor for Lincoln Hills and Copper Lake released a report Friday on conditions at the notorious juvenile facilities. It was the monitor’s 22nd visit to the prisons, and revealed both signs of improvement and lingering or worsening problems for the two facilities. The monitor noted that the populations at Lincoln Hills and Copper Lake were “significantly higher” compared to the last visit in October 2024. As of April 18, there are 78 boys at Lincoln Hills, 34 youth at Mendota, six girls at Copper Lake, and four at the Grow Academy, according to weekly population reports. The total on-grounds juvenile population is currently 122, up from the 95 who were in custody in early January. 

Average staffing vacancies which typically hovered around 16%-40% were lower, and the monitor stressed the need to address youth on administrative confinement, particularly those waiting to be transferred to another facility. 

Despite the issues, the report found that the Department of Corrections (DOC) is in substantial compliance with 45 (or 90%) of the 50 provisions identified in a court-ordered consent decree that resulted from a 2017 lawsuit over conditions at the youth prison. With the new monitoring report, four more provisions of the consent decree were brought into substantial compliance.

“This report showcases the hard work and commitment of our staff at Lincoln Hills and Copper Lake,” said DOC secretary Jared Hoy in a statement. “Tremendous progress has been made over the past seven plus years and we are looking forward to realizing a new model for juvenile corrections in Wisconsin.” The Mendota Juvenile Treatment Center began accepting girls for the first time, allowing the population at Copper Lake to be cut in half. Transfer times for boys were also reduced, and treatment teams have helped youth understand the root causes for anti-social behavior.

The report noted that physical improvements, such as replacing heat exchangers and deck upgrades to training facilities, were made since the last visit. Wifi strength has increased in the school and other living units, making it easier for youth to access recreation and learning programs.

Youth in confinement are provided with a special education teacher, as well as a general education teacher. New classrooms have been added to the Skills Development Programs, and teachers are attending youth growth team meetings and other activities. Some incarcerated youth did complain about teachers not being on the units most of the time, and only receiving paper packet work or chromebooks. A random viewing of video by the monitor showed teachers in the units. Youth also played kickball and were in the music lab during the monitoring visit. The facility still lacks a welding instructor, a program which youth appear to enjoy. The monitor was also concerned about vacancy rates in light of the growing population at Lincoln Hills. 

Living units were clean, and youth interacted with the monitor respectfully. Some housing units weren’t visited because the youth were rambunctious, but all units appeared clean and organized. Youth were calm and talkative with monitoring team members and one another, according to the report. Some played cards, ate lunch, made phone calls or watched television. When interviewed by the monitor, the youth were largely positive. They said they enjoyed new menu items, the music lab, but complained about food portion sizes. They also wished there were more jobs for them to do around the facility, and wanted the kickball unit to be switched to basketball. 

“Some youth stated that staff were abusive, and some youth really liked the staff and said they treated them well,” the monitor wrote. “Youth took pride in how clean their rooms and units were.” There were also complaints about restraints, including  waist belts, that have been used when they are out of their rooms. Youth felt the use of restraints was unfair, and that sometimes they weren’t told when violations were received. 

In 2022, DOC received funding to move forward with a state-run juvenile facility in Milwaukee County. Land was approved on West Clinton Avenue and the design has been  finalized and work began in the summer of 2024. The 32-bed facility is scheduled to be completed in late 2026. Another Type 1 facility is being designed in Dane County. Opening the new facilities will be a major step towards the Legislature’s goal of closing Lincoln Hills and Copper Lake, which have had troubled reputations for abuse and violence against youth housed there as well as staff members.