Gov. Scott Walker says he doesn't plan to visit Wisconsin's troubled youth prisons during 2nd term

MADISON — Gov. Scott Walker says he does not plan to visit Wisconsin's troubled juvenile prisons before his second term ends in over a year.

Walker has never been to the Lincoln Hills or Copper Lake prisons in Irma north of Wausau. The prisons have been the subject of a federal investigation into prisoner abuse for nearly three years and the subject of multiple lawsuits.

Democrats have criticized Walker for failing to view prison operations first-hand.

Walker told The Associated Press in an interview Saturday that "Democrats focus on things that are for show as opposed to results."

Walker says he expects the Department of Corrections to make whatever changes are necessary to ensure the safety and security of staff and offenders at the prisons.