Clearly, Wisconsin’s youth prison is not safe

In the days after we learned of the troubles at Wisconsin’s youth prison, Governor Walker was quick to reassure us that the Lincoln Hills School for Boys and the Copper Lake School for Girls were safe. Turns out things aren’t quite so rosy. In the days following the Governor’s declaration, inmates at Lincoln Hills have fought with each other, refused to return to their rooms, and in one case threw urine on a staff member. In the past two months, two teenage girls hanged themselves and lost consciousness. One staff member allegedly pepper sprayed two inmates, and one staff member allegedly battered another staff member. One young inmate had his toes amputated after his foot was slammed shut in the cell door by a guard. Clearly, things are not safe at Wisconsin’s only youth prison. The FBI is now investigating these claims, as well as allegations of sexual abuse of juveniles, and attacks on staff and other juveniles. So it makes sense that the state try to get to the bottom of these allegations. Some lawmakers are calling for a public hearing on safety at Wisconsin’s correctional facilities. But the chairman of the Public Safety Committee thinks that is a bad idea. It would seem our lawmakers have a moral responsibility to find out as much as we can about what has been going on and how to prevent it. We shouldn’t have to wait for the feds to finish their probe before the state starts asking questions.