Walker administration canceled request for prison probe

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — A television station is reporting Gov. Scott Walker’s administration told former prisons Secretary Ed Wall to cancel his request for an association to investigate abuse at Wisconsin’s youth prison.

Wall wrote to the Association of State Correctional Administrators in November 2015 asking for a review, according to WSAW-TV.

The association’s former executive director said shortly after receiving the letter Wall told him that Walker’s staff had instructed Wall to cancel the review request. Wall says the letter proves Walker knew about problems at the prison long before they admitted them publicly.

Wall resigned as prisons secretary in 2016 amid allegations of abuse at the prison.

Walker spokeswoman Amy Hasenberg characterized Wall’s assertions as “false attacks” and pointed out the Justice Department fired Wall for encouraging a Walker staffer to shred documents.