Wisconsin Legislature Sets Three-Year Clock on Juvenile Prison Shutdown

Advocates and attorneys pushing for closure of the facilities hailed the bill as an important step, but were critical of the plan to route a lot of new money into other incarceration options.

“Closing Lincoln Hills and Copper Lake is the right move,” said Jessica Feierman, associate director of Juvenile Law Center, in a statement issued after the bill’s passage. The center has helped lead a campaign against the facilities with the local chapter of the ACLU.