Here & Now

Badger on Allegations Against Workers at Juvenile Facility

FREDERICA FREYBERG:

A CRIMINAL INVESTIGATION INTO ALLEGED ABUSE OF JUVENILE INMATES AT THE STATE’S YOUTH PRISON IS UNDERWAY IN LINCOLN COUNTY. IN RECENT DAYS STATE DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE AGENTS RAIDED THE LINCOLN HILLS SCHOOL FOR BOYS IN IRMA, WHERE THE COPPER LAKE SCHOOL FOR GIRLS IS ALSO LOCATED. A MOTION FILED TO LAUNCH AN INVESTIGATION THERE SAYS THERE IS REASON TO BELIEVE THAT CRIMES OF PHYSICAL ABUSE, CHILD NEGLECT, STRANGULATION AND SUFFOCATION, USE OF PEPPER SPRAY TO CAUSE BODILY HARM AND SECOND-DEGREE SEXUAL ASSAULT HAVE BEEN COMMITTED. THE F.B.I. HAS NOW ALSO JOINED THE PROBE. NOW, THE DOCUMENT ALSO LISTED INTIMIDATION OF VICTIMS AND TAMPERING WITH PUBLIC RECORDS. LAST WEEK, THE WISCONSIN CORRECTIONS SECRETARY REMOVED THE JUVENILE PRISON’S SUPERINTENDENT AND THE JUVENILE CORRECTIONS ADMINISTRATOR AND HAS PLACED OTHER STAFF AT LINCOLN HILLS ON LEAVE. SECRETARY ED WALL SAYS IT’S A SMALL NUMBER OF SECURITY STAFF BEING INVESTIGATED FOR ALLEGEDLY PUTTING YOUTH AT RISK FOR HARM, INCLUDING A JUVENILE WHO WAS ASSAULTED AND SERIOUSLY INJURED BY A YOUTH COUNSELOR TWO WEEKS AGO. BECAUSE THE INVESTIGATION IS BEING CONDUCTED AS A SECRET JOHN DOE PROBE, SECRETARY WALL DECLINED TO APPEAR TONIGHT. WE ARE ABLE TO TALK WITH THE HEAD OF THE STATE EMPLOYEES UNION, RICK BADGER. THANKS VERY MUCH FOR BEING HERE.

RICK BADGER:

THANK YOU, FREDERICA.

FREDERICA FREYBERG:

WITH ALL OF THAT THAT WE’VE JUST DESCRIBED, WHAT IS GOING ON AT LINCOLN HILLS?

RICK BADGER:

WELL, IT’S NOT GOOD. AND THESE ARE THINGS THAT, AS WE SEE THIS GOING FURTHER AND FURTHER, THIS IS NOT JUST A FEW ROGUE EMPLOYEES, AS WE’VE BEEN LED TO BELIEVE EARLIER, BUT REALLY MORE OF A SYSTEMIC FAILURE IN THE DEPARTMENT OF CORRECTIONS. IT’S NOT JUST LINCOLN HILLS. IT’S THE OTHER CORRECTIONAL FACILITIES AS WELL. AND AS I SIT WITH YOU TODAY, I CAN SAY WE DON’T CONDONE BAD ACTIONS OR ILLEGAL ACTIONS, BUT WE’VE YET TO HEAR THE FACT THAT THERE HAVE BEEN A LOT OF ATTACKS, NOT JUST JUVENILE ON JUVENILE, AS WELL AS JUVENILE ON STAFF. THIS IS SOMETHING WHERE AT THIS INSTITUTION, THINGS WERE OUT OF CONTROL.

FREDERICA FREYBERG:

SECRETARY WALL AND THE DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE ALLEGE A CULTURE AMONG STAFF AT LINCOLN HILLS THAT LEAVES JUVENILES IN DANGER, THEY SAY, AND DESCRIBE THESE SERIOUS INJURIES INFLICTED BY STAFF. AND YET YOU’RE SUGGESTING THAT IT’S EQUALLY AS BAD THE OTHER WAY AROUND?

RICK BADGER:

WELL, I WOULDN’T EVEN SAY IT’S EQUALLY BAD. I THINK IT’S AN ISSUE OF IF THERE WERE BAD ACTIONS, THEN THIS PROCESS NEEDS TO COME THROUGH AND FIGURE OUT WHO THOSE BAD ACTORS WERE. I HAVE A PROBLEM WITH IT BEING STATED THAT THERE WAS A CULTURE AMONG THE STAFF. I THINK THERE’S A FAILURE OF LEADERSHIP TO ADDRESS CONCERNS THAT WERE RAISED FOUR YEARS AGO AND THREE YEARS AGO AND TWO YEARS AGO AND ONE YEAR AGO, THAT THERE ARE INCIDENTS GOING ON, THAT STAFF WAS NOT FEELING SAFE AND THAT THE ISSUES ARE BEING IGNORED.

FREDERICA FREYBERG:

DESCRIBE SOME OF THE EXAMPLES OF THOSE ISSUES THAT YOU’RE TALKING ABOUT.

RICK BADGER:

WELL, WE KNEW THAT THERE WERE SHORTAGES OF STAFF. WE KNOW THAT THERE WERE STAFF THAT WERE LEAVING. THIS IS NOT NEW. THE DEPARTMENT OF CORRECTIONS IS HAVING A HUGE PROBLEM KEEPING STAFF THERE. BUT, AGAIN, THESE ARE ISSUES WHERE IT’S NOT JUST A CULTURE AMONG THE STAFF. IT’S A FAILURE OF LEADERSHIP TO ADDRESS A PROBLEM AND ALLOW THE STAFF TO BE PART OF THE SOLUTION.

FREDERICA FREYBERG:

WHAT DO YOU MEAN BY THAT?

RICK BADGER:

WHAT I MEAN IS IF YOU BRING UP PROBLEMS, AND IF THERE ARE ISSUES GOING ON — AND, AGAIN, I DON’T KNOW THE SPECIFICS WHAT’S GOING ON WITH THIS INVESTIGATION. BUT FROM WHAT I’VE KNOWN FROM PAST HISTORY THE LAST FEW YEARS, STAFF HAVE BROUGHT CONCERNS TO THEIR SUPERVISORS, AND THEY’VE BEEN IGNORED. MY UNION HAS HAD TO RELEASE PRESS RELEASES. IT’S HAD TO ADDRESS THINGS UP THE CHAIN OF COMMAND. AND THEY’VE BEEN IGNORED. SO IF THERE’S A CULTURE, IT’S A CULTURE THAT WAS NOT ADDRESSED BY DEPARTMENT OF CORRECTIONS.

FREDERICA FREYBERG:

WHAT KINDS OF THINGS WERE IGNORED?

RICK BADGER:

BASICALLY THE ISSUE OF EMPLOYEE SAFETY IN TERMS OF PROTOCOLS AS FAR AS TAKING CARE OF HOW YOU HANDLE SITUATIONS. AND, AGAIN, A LOT OF THESE THINGS WILL COME OUT. AND I’M NOT ADDRESSING THE SPECIFICS OR A SPECIFIC INSTANCE. I’M SAYING THAT THE ENVIRONMENT WAS NOT A SAFE ENVIRONMENT. AND THESE ISSUES WERE RAISED BY STAFF. AND IT’S NOT SOMETHING FROM THE LAST SEVERAL MONTHS. THIS IS GOING ON FOR AT LEAST A FEW YEARS.

FREDERICA FREYBERG:

I READ THAT LINCOLN HILLS WAS DESCRIBED AS A GLADIATOR SCHOOL FOR TROUBLED YOUTH. WHAT DOES THAT MEAN?

RICK BADGER:

I CAN’T SPEAK TO THAT, THAT PARTICULAR STATEMENT. WHAT I CAN SPEAK TO IS THAT STAFF WERE CONCERNED THAT MEASURES THAT WERE PUT INTO PLACE FOR THE SAFETY OF THE JUVENILES AND FOR THE SAFETY OF STAFF WERE CHANGED IN TERMS OF SEGREGATION FOR OFFENDERS WHO VIOLATED POLICIES, AND THESE ISSUES, WE BELIEVE, HAD AN IMPACT ON THE SAFETY IN THE ENTIRE INSTITUTION.

FREDERICA FREYBERG:

NOW, CORRECTIONS SAYS IT WILL NOW HAVE GUARDS WEAR BODY CAMERAS AND TRANSFER SECURITY SUPERVISORS INTO LINCOLN HILLS, AS WELL AS IMPLEMENTING NEW TRAINING ON USE OF FORCE, INCIDENT RESPONSE, CONTROL METHODS. WHAT’S YOUR RESPONSE TO THOSE NEW MEASURES?

RICK BADGER:

WELL, AGAIN, I DON’T KNOW ALL THE MEASURES ARE GOING TO BE PUT INTO PLACE. AGAIN, THE REAL PROBLEM HERE IS IT’S TAKEN THIS SITUATION TO BRING ATTENTION TO THE PROBLEM. AND WHETHER IT’S JUST A MEASURE OF HAVING BODY CAMERAS, I THINK IT’S MORE THAN THAT. I THINK IT’S ABOUT MAKING SURE WE HAVE THE RIGHT PEOPLE IN THE RIGHT PLACE. THAT PEOPLE ARE PROPERLY TRAINED AND THE STAFF HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO NOT FEEL THAT THEY WILL BE IN TROUBLE IF THEY BRING ISSUES OF CONCERN TO THEIR SUPERVISORS. AND RIGHT NOW, MAKE NO MISTAKE, THERE’S STILL A CHILLING EFFECT AS FAR AS STAFF FEELING COMFORTABLE THAT THEY CAN BRING PROBLEMS TO THE CHAIN OF COMMAND.

FREDERICA FREYBERG:

THE GOVERNOR TODAY SAID THAT LINCOLN HILLS IS NOW SAFE, AND HE HAS NO REASON TO BELIEVE THAT OTHER STATE PRISONS ARE EXPERIENCING SIMILAR PROBLEMS.

RICK BADGER:

ALL RIGHT. WELL, ONE, I CERTAINLY HOPE THAT LINCOLN HILLS IS SAFE IN LIGHT OF ALL THIS. BUT IT SHOULDN’T TAKE 50 INVESTIGATORS, THE F.B.I., DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE TO MAKE A FACILITY SAFE. AS I’M SAYING RIGHT NOW, OTHER FACILITIES HAVE PROBLEMS. I’M NOT SAYING THEY’RE EXACTLY THE SAME AS THE ONES GOING ON AT LINCOLN HILLS. BUT THE STAFFING SHORTAGES AND THE LACK OF LISTENING TO FRONT LINE WORKERS WHEN THEY HAVE PROBLEMS IS SOMETHING THAT LEADS ME TO BELIEVE THAT THERE ARE PROBLEMS THAT ARE NOT BEING ADDRESSED AT OTHER FACILITIES.

FREDERICA FREYBERG:

RICK BADGER, THANKS VERY MUCH.

RICK BADGER:

THANK YOU.