Investigation into allegations of abuse at Lincoln Hills pushes overcrowding elsewhere

MILWAUKEE  — Allegations of abuse by staff at a troubled youth prison in northern Wisconsin have resulted in overcrowding and understaffing at the juvenile detention center in Milwaukee County because local officials have objected to keeping young offenders at the Irma facility.

An internal memo from Milwaukee County Health & Human Services Director Hector Colon to County Executive Chris Abele says the county's juvenile facility has been overcapacity 33 times this year and youth have been forced to sleep on foam rubber mats. Colon says 49 youths were transferred from Lincoln Hills to Milwaukee County's facility from January to March.

State and federal investigators have been looking into abuse allegations at Lincoln Hills School for Boys and Copper Lake School for Girls at the campus 30 miles north of Wausau.

READ IT: Memo from Hector Colon, director of Department of Health & Human Services to Milwaukee County Executive Chris Abele