Federal judge ends court oversight of Lincoln Hills, Copper Lake

On Jan. 28, 2026, Gov. Tony Evers and Wisconsin Department of Corrections (DOC) Secretary Jared Hoy announced that the state had completed all court-ordered reforms at Lincoln Hills and Copper Lake Schools and asked a federal court to end its consent decree over the juvenile facilities. A federal judge granted the request to end court-mandated oversight of the facilities the following day, on Jan. 29.
The DOC had met all 50 requirements established after child abuse scandals led to a federal court order in 2017. A court-approved monitor confirmed the state’s compliance in a report released in October 2025 and another issued on Jan. 28, which prompted DOC to file the motion. The American Civil Liberties Union, which filed the original lawsuit, did not oppose the request.
“This has been a goal a decade in the making, and it’s tremendous to be able to celebrate the completion of reforms at Lincoln Hills and Copper Lake schools today,” Evers said. “This is a win for our state, a win for youth in our care, and a win for those who dedicate their time and energy to supporting the needed advancement of our justice system.”
He emphasized that work remained to fully close the facilities and move youth to new regional centers closer to their home communities.

History of the facilities

In 2015, law enforcement raided Lincoln Hills and Copper Lake Schools as part of a criminal investigation into abuse claims and unsafe working conditions. Investigators found excessive force against youth, excessive use of pepper spray and confinement, failure to stop youth-on-youth fights, and sexual and physical abuse that included broken bones.
The scandal cost the state more than $25 million in legal fees and settlements. By January 2019, the state was in substantial compliance with just one of the 50 court-ordered requirements. As of October 2025, all 50 reforms had been met.
“Countless DOC employees have been working diligently since 2017 to make much-needed reforms to Wisconsin’s juvenile facilities and toward a new model that prioritizes education, therapy, and strengthening family and community ties,” Hoy said. “This gets us one step closer toward closing Lincoln Hills and Copper Lake schools and placing youth into modern facilities closer to home.”

New facilities in development
The Southeast Regional Care Center for Youth, a new Type 1 secure juvenile facility in Milwaukee, is expected to open in fall 2026. Once operational, the state will begin transferring some youth from Lincoln Hills and Copper Lake closer to their home communities.

DOC is completing final planning for a second Type 1 facility in Fitchburg near Oakhill Correctional Institution in Dane County. The 2025-27 state budget included $130.7 million for the new facility and $1.5 million for planning an expansion of the nearby Grow Academy, a residential treatment program that offers an alternative to incarceration.
Fully closing Lincoln Hills and Copper Lake and converting them to adult correctional facilities will require additional Type 1 facilities and programming beyond what is currently funded.