Southeast Regional Care Center for Youth ready to open on Milwaukee's north side

MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) — A new juvenile detention facility will soon open in Milwaukee.

The Wisconsin Department of Corrections' new center is located on Milwaukee's northwest side, closer to home for many offenders currently housed at the troubled Lincoln Hills/Copper Lake schools in Irma.

Located near 76th and Good Hope Road, the Southeast Regional Care Center for Youth is a Type 1 correctional facility serving children and teens convicted of serious offenses.

It will house 32 boys at a time, primarily from the Milwaukee County area.

"Thirty-two youth is intentional. We don't want hundreds of youth in a space where it is high risk," said Lance Horozewski, administrator of juvenile corrections for the Wisconsin DOC.

The new center is part of a decade-long plan to replace the Lincoln Hills and Copper Lake schools, which had a history of poor conditions, resulting in more than $25 million in settlements paid out by the state.

Act 185, passed in 2018, called for the closure of those juvenile facilities, transitioning into smaller, regional centers.

Legislative and financial hurdles slowed the process until the first Type 1 facility for Milwaukee was approved in 2023.

"This is a win that took way too long," said Gov. Tony Evers, who toured the Southeast Regional Care Center for Youth on Wednesday.

Along with classrooms and a courtyard, the facility includes a gym, chapel, medical and dental offices, woodshop, welding lab and recording studio. The layout is highly secure while remaining bright and spacious.

"These spaces were designed specifically, ensuring that kids can get the same thing when they're in the community," Horozewski explained.

The center's model will focus on continuation of care, with new staff members from local schools, community organizations and other entities to help juveniles transition back into the community.

"This isn't punitive, this isn't supposed to be punishment or anything like that. This is a care center," explained Maurice Newton Jr., one of the facility's youth counselors. "I want the kids to get all the skills that they can use so they can make better choices."

Youth in the facility will have typical school days aligned with state Department of Public Instruction standards. They will have mandatory individual and group therapy, as well as recreation opportunities.

"They're paying a price — they're in a prison — but they're in a place where they're going to be learning and growing," Evers said.

"We know what works in reducing recidivism: treatment, treating people with dignity and respect, and having environments that aren't further traumatizing kids," Horozewski explained. "This environment, I believe, meets all those thresholds."

Youth at Lincoln Hills/Copper Lake from the Milwaukee County area will start to be relocated to the new facility in November. The DOC expects the center to be at full capacity and staffing by the new year.

A similar facility is under construction in Dane County that will serve the south-central part of the state.

The Wisconsin DOC hopes to build a third Type 1 facility in the northern part of the state.

"I hope my successor, whoever it is, is saying, 'We have a good start here, let's fix the rest of it,'" Evers said, referring to the progress within Wisconsin's juvenile justice system.

The state aims to close Lincoln Hills/Copper Lake by 2029, with plans to transition it to a medium-security prison for adult men.