New Wisconsin youth detention center to open in Milwaukee

The state's newest youth prison on Milwaukee's northwest side will open up next month. We're getting a first look inside. As Bill Miston explains, it's part of a plan to replace the troubled Lincoln Hills facility in northern Wisconsin. Tucked away at the end of a road is the state's newest youth correctional facility. Starting next month, the DOC will start transitioning some of the 70 youth from Lincoln Hills to Milwaukee. What I've learned is kids want to do well, they just don't have the skills to do well. Keshonda Brown's worked as a DOC juvenile youth counselor for four years in Dane County, but the new youth prison gave her an opportunity to come home and work with youth here. Hey, like, hey, you're emotional today. What can we do? You're upset. Like, what are we going to do? Are we going to go out and do some hoops? Are we going to talk about the pros and cons? How are we going to figure this out in real time? The $65 million facility is intended to provide youth offenders an education, therapy, and rebuild their and their families' lives. Our whole focus and goal is to build youth skills while they're here, build that capacity, connect them with community resources that they can continue within the community. Part of the DOC's closer to home model that's being adopted in Wisconsin. We know what works in reducing recidivism. Treatment, treating people with dignity and respect, and having environments that aren't further traumatizing kids. It's been in the works for nearly a decade to close the Lincoln County Youth Facilities by 2029 and convert the 500-bed campus to adults. Milwaukee's facility has 32 beds, classrooms, workshops, recording studios to teach skills youth can take with them into the community. They're in a prison, but they are in a place where they're going to be learning and growing and being able to get out back to their families and their communities as soon as possible. The Juvenile Corrections Division takes care of the state's youngest offenders. The kids that we do serve, at the end of the day, they're all kids. When those kids move in, Keshonda Brown will be waiting. In Milwaukee, Bill Miston, Fox 6 News. The DOC says it's working on hiring additional staff for this new facility, and work is underway on a similar youth prison in Dane County with a planned third facility in northern Wisconsin.