Wisconsin Senate unanimously approves plan that would close Lincoln Hills youth prison

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — The Wisconsin Senate has unanimously approved an $80 million juvenile justice overhaul plan that would close the troubled Lincoln Hills prison by 2021 and replace it with smaller regional facilities.

The Senate voted without any debate Tuesday to pass the plan, which largely mirrors what the Assembly unanimously approved last month.

The Assembly was expected to concur with the Senate's plan on Thursday, a vote that would send the bill to Gov. Scott Walker.

Walker had urged the Legislature to pass a juvenile justice plan before adjourning for the year. The proposal would put the most serious offenders under control of the state and other juveniles would be housed in county-run facilities.

Federal investigators have been looking into allegations of inmate abuse by guards at the Lincoln Hills prison for three years.

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