More changes, oversight needed at Wisconsin’s juvenile lockups

More troubles at Wisconsin’s juvenile lockup. The Lincoln Hills School for Boys and the Copper Lake School for girls near Wausau are the subject of a federal investigation amid allegations of prisoner abuse, child neglect and sexual assault. The FBI has now taken over the probe. The state’s Corrections Secretary, Ed Wall, is stepping down over the allegations. At least 23 workers at the facility have been put on paid leave as part of the investigation. The latest, a staff at the youth prison who is being investigated over the medical treatment of a juvenile who later required hospitalization. Earlier reports included a staff member who slammed a cell door on a prisoner’s foot, requiring the amputation of his toes. But the problems aren’t confined to low-level staffers. There is evidence Governor Scott Walker was made aware of the troubles at Lincoln Hills four years ago. But still, it remains business as usual at the state’s juvenile facility. If public safety truly is issue number one, then our lawmakers need to demand more changes and oversight there. We can’t expect to rehabilitate these kids if they are subjected to the same kind of violence and abuse inside the prison walls that they encountered on the outside.