Youth Justice Milwaukee Statement on Judge’s OK to Lincoln Hills Settlement
"For years, children suffered trauma and neglect at the hands of Wisconsin’s Department of Corrections, and this settlement only begins to make things right."
Lincoln Hills School and Copper Lake School. Photo from the Wisconsin Department of Corrections.
MILWAUKEE, WI – Youth Justice Milwaukee co-founders Jeff Roman and Sharlen Moore released the following statement in response to a federal judge signing off on the Lincoln Hills settlement that will eliminate the use of pepper spray and solitary confinement at the youth prison:
“For years, children suffered trauma and neglect at the hands of Wisconsin’s Department of Corrections, and this settlement only begins to make things right. Children should never be locked up alone for days or weeks in tiny cells and chemical agents should never be used to restrain them – these are just barbaric relics of our outdated youth prison system. There is still much work to do to reform our justice system and prevent further abuse, and as our state prepares to close Lincoln Hills and Copper Lake, it’s essential that it works with youth, families, and communities to replace these broken institutions with alternatives that are fully transparent and independently monitored. The answer to the abuse is not more locked doors and chains; it’s community-based care that provides a restorative and healing environment.”
Youth Justice Milwaukee is a broad-based campaign advocating for community-based, family-centered, restorative programs as an alternative to locking up children in Wisconsin’s youth prisons. Youth Justice Milwaukee represents a coalition of persons who were incarcerated as youth, families of youth who are or were incarcerated, service providers, and local and national youth justice advocates.
NOTE: This press release was submitted to Urban Milwaukee and was not written by an Urban Milwaukee writer. While it is believed to be reliable, Urban Milwaukee does not guarantee its accuracy or completeness.
More about the Lincoln Hills and Copper Lake Facilities
- MKE County: Tight Budget Forces Difficult Vote on Housing, Juvenile Justice - Graham Kilmer - Nov 1st, 2024
- Letters from Evers, Republicans Show Clash on Juvenile Corrections - Andrew Kennard - Aug 17th, 2024
- Following Counselor Death, Staff, Family Plead for Help At Lincoln Hills - Andrew Kennard - Aug 16th, 2024
- Lawmakers Grill Wisconsin Prison Officials Over Safety, Employee Death at Youth Facility - Sarah Lehr - Aug 7th, 2024
- Future of Lincoln Hills Remains In Limbo - Isiah Holmes - Apr 12th, 2024
- MKE County: County Youth In State Prisons Declining Again - Graham Kilmer - Jan 15th, 2024
- Legislative Committee Okays $6 Million for 2nd Juvenile Facility - Devin Blake - Oct 1st, 2023
- Some Progress, Still Problems at Lincoln Hills - Isiah Holmes - Jul 9th, 2023
- Plats and Parcels: Republicans Approve Gov. Evers’ Allocation of $32.6 Million More To Build Milwaukee Youth Prison - Jeramey Jannene - Jun 4th, 2023
- Milwaukee Youth Prison Costs Grow 71% - Jeramey Jannene - Mar 1st, 2023
Read more about Lincoln Hills and Copper Lake Facilities here
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Jun 3rd, 2019 by Youth Justice MilwaukeeSignals Strong Bipartisan Support for Community-Based Alternatives to Incarceration to Rehabilitate Youth
