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."
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.
More about the Lincoln Hills and Copper Lake
- Evers Proposes $45.8 Million for Milwaukee Juvenile Facility - Gretchen Schuldt - Mar 1st, 2021
- MKE County: County Has Just 22 Inmates in Youth Prisons - Edgar Mendez - Feb 24th, 2021
- Evers Pushes Juvenile Justice System Changes - Corri Hess - Feb 18th, 2021
- Youth Justice Milwaukee Calls for Transformation of the Wisconsin Youth Justice System as the State Acknowledges it Will Not Meet the July 2021 Deadline to Close Lincoln Hills and Copper Lake Prisons - Youth Justice Milwaukee - Feb 8th, 2021
- Pandemic Causes Youth Prison Problems - Graham Kilmer - Jan 27th, 2021
- Can State Rescue Youth Corrections Plan? - Graham Kilmer - Jan 11th, 2021
- State Can’t Meet Deadline to Close Youth Prisons - Graham Kilmer - Dec 30th, 2020
- MKE County: Crowley Defers Youth Corrections Grant Until State Has Sustainable Plan - Graham Kilmer - Sep 16th, 2020
- State Blows Up County Youth Corrections Plan - Graham Kilmer - May 20th, 2020
- Youth Advocates Remain Committed to Closing Wisconsin Youth Prisons Following Monitor’s Report - American Civil Liberties Union of Wisconsin - Mar 5th, 2020
Read more about Lincoln Hills and Copper Lake here
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