Finality needed in Wisconsin juvenile lockup investigation

It was one year ago this week when state investigators raided Wisconsin’s troubled youth prison. The list of allegations is lengthy, and troubling. Sexual assault. Child neglect. Tampering with public documents. Intimidation of victims. Use of pepper spray to cause bodily harm. That raid followed a nearly year long investigation, and was two years after the complaints first came in. Since that raid on the Lincoln Hill School for Boys, several staff members have left, and nearly every Department of Corrections employee who oversaw the facility, including the state’s Secretary of Corrections has quit or moved on. But what we don’t have yet is the truth. The federal government took over the investigation shortly after the raid, and so far not a single person has been charged. The FBI will only say its investigation is ongoing. We don’t even know the status of the investigation. With no resolution, it is difficult to know what changes to make at Lincoln Hills. Now, some are calling for the construction of a new juvenile lockup, in Milwaukee, which state taxpayers may be asked to pay for. Before we start throwing more money at the problem, shouldn’t we wait to see exactly what the problem is and what should be done about it?