Milwaukee County Board asking for no Lincoln Hills placement

The Lincoln Hills School for Boys and Copper Lake School for Girls house juvenile inmates from all over the state, including from Milwaukee County.

Sexual assault and inmate abuse allegations are swirling around these places, and right now the state Department of Justice is digging deep with its investigation.

Members of the Milwaukee County Board do want to see local juveniles sent there.

"Because there are all these allegations, these probes, etc., and I want to make sure that our young people aren't being harmed." said Board Supervisor Supreme Moore Omokunde.

In a unanimous vote, Milwaukee County Board members passed a resolution asking judges to keep kids out of Lincoln Hills School for Boy, and Copper Lake School for Girls. Both of those juvenile correctional centers are under investigation for inmate abuse.

Moore Omokunde said, "Our children are very vulnerable and these are our babies that we are sending into these environments where they can be harmed."

Wisconsin Attorney General Brad Schimel says this investigation at the facility is almost a year old. He said, "You start to peel back layers and you find more things."

Schimel also says the danger to inmates has been removed. "Immediate steps are to make sure there is nobody there who might be causing harm to kids currently."

The state’s Department of Corrections agrees, and in a letter to parents last week wrote, "... your child at Lincoln Hills School or Copper Lake School is safe and going about their normal day at the facility."

Schimel says the investigation at Lincoln Hills could continue on for up to another year. "We now are making our way out to talk to former residents at the institutions and former staff that no longer work there." he said.