Walker signs bill to close troubled Lincoln Hills youth prison

MILWAUKEE — Gov. Scott Walker has signed legislation to close a troubled youth prison in Wisconsin and authorize funding for new facilities across the state.

Walker signed the bill in Milwaukee on Friday. The legislation allow the state to borrow $80 million for building facilities to house juvenile offenders when the Lincoln Hills prison shuts down by 2021. Counties willing to accommodate the less serious offenders will receive some of the funding.

Juvenile justice advocates like Sharlen Moore with Youth Justice Milwaukee and the American Civil Liberties Union in Wisconsin hope the money is also used for services and programs as alternatives to incarceration.

The prison located about a three-hour drive from Milwaukee has been the target of guard-on-prisoner allegations for years.