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JFC co-chairs Sen. Howard Marklein and Rep. Mark Vaughn said last week that the committee has finally received responses from the Department of Homeland Security that answer some of the questions and concerns they raised. The lawmakers were photographed speaking to reporters in May 2023. (Baylor Spears | Wisconsin Examiner)
Lawmakers on the powerful Joint Finance Committee last week approved the hiring of 124 staff positions at the Mendota Juvenile Treatment Center, estimated to cost about $12 million, after the request had been pending for six months.
The request for the position was first submitted by the state Department of Health Services in January. The position is needed to support the Mendota Juvenile Treatment Center, a facility in Madison that provides specialized treatment services to juveniles transferred from the Department of Corrections. Staff will address the medical and behavioral needs of juveniles at the facility, which is looking to expand from its current 29 beds to 94. The expansion is part of a restructuring that will allow for the closure of the troubled Lincoln Hills juvenile facility.
After one member of the committee anonymously opposed the request, committee leaders sought more information about those positions, including asking officials to develop and submit to the committee a plan to address whether there is enough funding for the additional costs and personnel. Gov. Tony Evers criticized lawmakers for the delay.
The stalemate drew renewed attention after Lincoln Hills counselor Corey Proulx was killed by a 16-year-old boy who was incarcerated at the facility. Lawyers had tried to transfer the boy to MJTC but were waiting to hear whether the facility had space.
Rep. Mark Vaughn (R-Beaver Dam) and Sen. Howard Marklein (R-Spring Green) said last week that the committee has finally received responses from the Department of Homeland Security that answer some of the questions and concerns they raised.
“Republicans in Congress have been strongly committed to the goal of closing Lincoln Hills Prison and improving juvenile corrections in Wisconsin. Our questions for the Department of Homeland Security are to ensure we are making responsible fiscal choices, and we believe we are now doing so,” the lawmakers said in a statement.
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The councillors also said Proulx’s death was not the committee’s fault and there could be “a myriad of reasons why a transfer could be denied.” The councillors said if they had approved the position in February, the new staff would not have been able to start training until August and the new beds would not have been available until October.
“Indeed, Republican lawmakers want to fix the problems in our correctional facilities, as evidenced by the significant investments they’ve made to raise staff pay, build new facilities, and expand MJTC,” the lawmakers said. “Yet the Governor has adopted policies that undermine staff, put both staff and inmates at risk, and ignore obvious problems. This is a leadership issue, not a money issue.”
“We appreciate the information that DHS has finally provided and are optimistic that their plans will move forward with a positive outcome,” the statement continued. “The objections have been withdrawn and we continue to move forward.”
