Finally, a plan to fix Wisconsin’s youth prison system

We have been calling for years for changes to Wisconsin’s youth prison system. Finally, Governor Walker is on board with the idea. Walker has endorsed the call of democrats in Madison to shut down the troubled Lincoln Hills School for boys and establish a series of smaller youth facilities throughout the state. That is the Missouri model we have long supported. Establishing more facilities will keep these kids closer to their families, and improve the chances of rehabilitation. It reduces the well documented stress on guards at Lincoln Hills, where fears of a revolt were met with shackles, pepper spray and isolation. The plan further calls for turning Lincoln Hills into an adult prison which focuses on drug and alcohol treatment. These are good ideas, which could not only reduce prison overpopulation, but also save taxpayers money. The question is what took so long? The Governor’s call for change comes six years after Walker was first notified of problems at Lincoln Hills, and three years after the FBI began its investigation into allegations of abuse there. Maybe this is an election-year gimmick by the Governor, but it is good that much-needed changes are finally coming to Wisconsin’s youth prison system.