Corrections: Offenders 16, 17 Should Go to Juvenile Lockup

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Wisconsin corrections officials want minors convicted in adult court to spend the first years of their sentences in a juvenile facility.

The Department of Corrections has asked legislators to change the law that currently sends 16- and 17-year-old criminals to adult prisons.

Those under 16 who are sentenced to prison in the adult system serve their time at the Lincoln Hills School for Boys and Copper Lake School for Girls in Lincoln County. The campus near Wausau has been under scrutiny recently following reports of sexual assault, physical abuse and neglect.

Republican Sen. Jerry Petrowski has worked on legislation in the past aimed at young offenders. Petrowski tells Gannett Wisconsin Media (http://wdhne.ws/2dfhiUv ) he expects the corrections request to survive the budget process.

Share this article: