Overview
- U.S. District Judge James Peterson on Jan. 28 granted the Department of Corrections’ request to terminate the 2018 consent decree for Lincoln Hills and Copper Lake.
- Court-appointed monitor Teresa Abreu reported substantial compliance across all provisions, citing the elimination of OC spray, sharp reductions in restraints and punitive room confinement, and a shift to behavior management and trauma-informed care.
- The case began with a 2017 ACLU of Wisconsin and Juvenile Law Center lawsuit over abusive conditions, and the ACLU did not oppose ending the decree while planning outreach to inform youth of continuing protections as the ban on pepper spray remains.
- DOC leaders say the decree’s requirements are now embedded in statewide policy for youth facilities, and the current population stands at about 70 boys at Lincoln Hills and 10 girls at Copper Lake.
- State officials are advancing smaller regional replacement centers, with a 32-bed Milwaukee site targeted for late 2026, a Dane County facility expected to break ground in 2026, and a possible Lincoln Hills closure by 2028 if projects stay on schedule.