As Wisconsin counties close juvenile facilities, Portage County takes their offenders

Jessica Feierman, an attorney and associate director of the Juvenile Law Center, a Philadelphia-based nonprofit, said many communities nationwide have closed juvenile detention facilities with the goal of creating a system that allows young people to get the help they need in their community.

“The research is really solid that supporting young people in their homes or in their communities works better than putting them in facilities outside their home,” she said.