Youth Justice Milwaukee
Press Release

Youth Justice Milwaukee: Wisconsin Must Include Community Input for Any Youth Transfers

"YJM agrees with President Hamilton that there are already enough correctional settings on the north side of Milwaukee."

By - May 10th, 2019 04:51 pm

Milwaukee, WI – In response to Tommy Kirk, a youth formerly incarcerated in Lincoln Hills, advocating for youth to be relocated to Milwaukee’s northside, Youth Justice Milwaukee co-founder Sharlen Moore released the following statement:

“Youth Justice Milwaukee (YJM) values the personal experiences of those who were incarcerated as children.  We agree that it is critical that the State of Wisconsin works with Milwaukee County to bring the children at Lincoln Hills and Copper Lake closer to their homes as soon as possible. Act 185 creates the possibility of more correctional settings of up to 40 children each, which is a significant reason why residents do not want the facility in their neighborhood. The community was not asked what they wanted. They have also not been given alternatives to consider, such as homelike settings for youth that blend well into neighborhoods and provide a normative environment for positive change to occur. We have heard the community ask for the opportunity to learn more.”

“YJM agrees with President Hamilton that there are already enough correctional settings on the north side of Milwaukee. We urge decision-makers at the state, county, and city levels to actively include the community in planning to avoid repeating the same failed practices. There are ways to transfer youth out of Lincoln Hills and Copper Lake, and create residential settings that offer the appropriate level of security and support necessary for youth to sustain positive behavior changes and access services that meet their needs.”

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.

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