Wisconsin youth prison report: changes made, staff 'exhausted'
IRMA, Wis. - The latest monitor report shows the long-troubled Lincoln Hills School-Copper Lake Schools is meeting most of its court-ordered requirements to improve.
However, it also shows staff at the youth prison fear for their lives.
For the 20th time, as part of a settlement agreement over youth prison conditions, the expert assigned to monitor the Wisconsin Department of Corrections checked back in on the Lincoln Hills School-Copper Lake Schools.
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Her 28-page report shows the DOC is "substantially compliant" with 88% of the "consent decree" requirements, like limiting the use of restraints and eliminating strip searches.
But the report also found staff are "exhausted" and fear for their safety after a teenager attacked two staff members in June.
Counselor Corey Proulx died at the hospital the next day.
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"I pray that you will not ever have to endure the pain and suffering that Corey did," Proulx’s niece Elizabeth Leander said. "I pray that this murder will change things for you and your safety."
Lawmakers look for ways to do just that.
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All of this comes while the state is planning to close both youth prisons and build a new facility near 76th and Good Hope in Milwaukee.
The report said it expects the new youth prison to open in 2026.