% >> THE HISTORICALLY VERY
% TROUBLED LINCOLN HILLS JOVE NILE
% CORRECTIONAL FACILITY IN
% NORTHERN WISCONSIN COMES INTO
% ANOTHER CALENDAR YEAR FACING
% UNDERSTAFFING, EVEN AS MILWAUKEE
% MOVES ALONG WITH TRYING TO
% LOCATE A NEW FACILITY ON THE
% CITY'S NORTHWEST SIDE.
% IT HAS BEEN FOUR YEARS SINCE
% STATE LAWMAKERS PROMISED TO
% CLOSE THE LINCOLN HILLS SCHOOL
% FOR BOYS AND COPPER LAKE SCHOOL
% FOR GIRLS BECAUSE OF DANGEROUS
% CONDITIONS THERE FOR INMATES AND
% STAFF.
% FOR DEVELOPMENTS ON THIS WE TURN
% TO THE WISCONSIN SECRETARY OF
% CORRECTIONS, KEVIN CARR.
% SECRETARY, THANKS VERY MUCH FOR
% BEING HERE.
% >> THANK YOU, FREDERICA.
% >> THIS WEEK THE CITY OF
% MILWAUKEE PLAN COMMISSION
% OKAYED.
% WHY HAS THE CLOSURE AND
% RELOCATION OF LINCOLN HILLS
% TAKEN SO LONG?
% >> WELL, YOU KNOW, JUST THIS
% PAST SPRING ACT 252 WAS PASSED
% WHICH PROVIDED THE NEEDED
% FUNDING IN ORDER FOR US TO
% ACTUALLY MOVE FORWARD WITH THE
% PLANS IN A VERY DELIBERATE WAY.
% PRIOR TO THAT, THE FUNDING WAS
% NOT AVAILABLE AND OUR
% ADMINISTRATION HAS BEEN TRYING
% TO GET THE FUNDING AND BUILD
% THIS NEW FACILITY SINCE WE CAME
% INTO OFFICE IN 2019.
% >> HOW WILL MOVING IT TO
% MILWAUKEE IN YOUR MIND HELP THE
% JUVENILES INCARCERATED THERE AND
% THEIR FAMILIES?
% >> WELL, THE BEST SCIENCE
% SURROUNDING JUVENILE CORRECTIONS
% SUGGESTS THAT THE CONCEPT OF
% MOVING OUR KIDS CLOSER TO HOME,
% CLOSER TO THE COMMUNITIES WHERE
% THEY COME FROM, WHERE THEIR
% FAMILIES ARE, WHERE THERE ARE
% SUPPORTIVE RESOURCES AND
% PROGRAMS AND CULTURALLY
% APPROPRIATE ACTIVITIES FOR YOUTH
% IS A POSITIVE REASON THAT
% PROMOTES THE REINTEGRATION OF
% YOUTH BACK INTO OUR COMMUNITIES
% AND LOWERS REPEATING AND KEEPS
% KIDS FROM ENTERING THE ADULT
% CORRECTIONAL SYSTEM.
% >> VERY KEY.
% MEANWHILE THE COURT-ORDERED
% MONITOR OF THE CONDITIONS AT THE
% FACILITY IN NORTHERN WISCONSIN
% REPORTS IT REMAINS UNDERSTAFFED.
% HOW MANY TEACHER AND SOCIAL
% WORKER VACANCIES ARE THERE RIGHT
% NOW?
% >> I CAN'T GIVE YOU THE EXACT
% NUMBER OF VACANCIES BUT WE DO
% HAVE VACANCIES IN OUR TEACHING
% AND SOCIAL WORKER POSITIONS.
% NOT ONLY AT LINCOLN HILLS BUT
% THROUGHOUT THE CORRECTIONAL
% SYSTEM, WHETHER IT'S THE ADULT
% OR JUVENILE SYSTEM.
% WE'RE EXPERIENCING THE EX ACTS
% SAME TYPE OF VACANCY ISSUES THAT
% THE PUBLIC SECTOR OR PRIVATE
% SECTOR IS EXPERIENCING IN THESE
% AREAS.
% PUBLIC SCHOOLS ARE EXPERIENCING
% A TEACHER SHORTAGE.
% MEDICAL FACILITIES ARE
% EXPERIENCING MEDICAL STAFF
% SHORTAGES AND SOCIAL WORK AND
% CLINICIAN SHORTAGES.
% THIS IS JUST NOT UNIQUE TO
% LINCOLN HILLS AND THE WISCONSIN
% CORRECTIONAL SYSTEM.
% >> WHAT EFFECT DOES THAT
% STAFFING SHORTAGE HAVE ON THE
% JUVENILES THERE IN TERMS OF
% THEIR PROGRAMMING?
% >> WELL, YOU KNOW, I WILL SAY
% THIS ABOUT OUR STAFFING PROBLEM
% IS THAT RECENTLY WE HAVE SEEN A
% TREMENDOUS INCREASE IN THE
% NUMBER OF STAFFING VACANCIES
% BEING REDUCED.
% SO RECENTLY WE HAVE HIRED MORE
% STAFF NOT ONLY IN JUVENILE
% CORRECTIONS BUT IN OUR ADULT
% INSTITUTIONS THAN WE HAVE IN ALL
% OF THE PREVIOUS FEW MONTHS.
% OUR BIGGEST CLASSES HAVE BEEN
% THIS PAST FALL.
% WITH THAT BEING SAID, A LACK OF
% STAFFING IN ANY FACILITY IMPACTS
% THE AMOUNT OF ACTIVITIES THAT
% THOSE WHO RESIDE THERE CAN
% ENGAGE IN.
% SO WHETHER THAT'S EDUCATION OR
% RECREATION, SOME OF THOSE
% ACTIVITIES ARE CURTAILED BECAUSE
% OF A LACK OF STAFFING.
% BUT WE HAVE GOTTEN TO THE POINT
% WITH OUR STAFFING AT LINCOLN
% HILLS AND COPPER LAKE WHERE WE
% HAVE BEEN ABLE TO MAXIMIZE THE
% AMOUNT OF TIME THAT OUR YOUTH
% ARE SPENDING OUT OF THEIR ROOMS.
% SOME UP TO 90% OF THE TIME OF
% THEIR AVAILABLE TIME DURING THE
% DAY THEY ARE SPENDING OUT OF
% THEIR ROOM, ESPECIALLY WITH THE
% LATEST HIRES THAT WE'VE BEEN
% ABLE TO MAKE.
% >> IN A PERFECT WORLD GOING
% FORWARD, WHAT SHOULD A BOY OR
% GIRL SENTENCED TO LINCOLN HILLS
% OR COPPER LAKE, THEIR FAMILIES
% OR EVEN CITIZENS AT LARGE BE
% ABLE TO EXPECT OF INCARCERATION
% IN STATE DETENTION?
% >> WELL, YOU KNOW, THAT'S A
% GREAT QUESTION BECAUSE WHEN OUR
% ADMINISTRATION TOOK OVER IN
% 2019, LINCOLN HILLS AND COPPER
% LAKE OPERATED WITH A MORE
% PUNITIVE MODEL OF CORRECTION.
% WE HAVE TRANSFORMED LINCOLN
% HILLS AND COPPER LAKE INTO A
% MORE TREATMENT-ORIENTED FACILITY
% BASED ON BEHAVIORAL THERAPY AND
% A NEW BEHAVIORAL MANAGEMENT
% SYSTEM THAT PROMOTES
% RELATIONSHIP DEVELOPMENT AND
% REWARDS SOCIAL BEHAVIOR.
% SO WE'RE MORE FOCUSED ON
% PROVIDING TREATMENT THAT'S BASED
% ON BEST PRACTICES IN THIS
% INDUSTRY AND TRAUMA-INFORMED
% CARE PRINCIPLES.
% >> SECRETARY KEVIN CARR, THANK