Here & Now

Jim Moeser On Trauma-Informed Care At Lincoln Hills

FREDERICA FREYBERG: IN MILWAUKEE, THE U.S. DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE ANNOUNCED THIS WEEK IT WILL CONDUCT A TWO-YEAR EXAMINATION INTO THE POLICE DEPARTMENT’S POLICIES, TRAINING AND PRACTICES. IT’S CALLED A COLLABORATIVE REFORM INITIATIVE AND WAS REQUESTED BY THE MILWAUKEE CHIEF OF POLICE. THE VOLUNTARY REVIEW IS LESS RESTRICTIVE THAN A FORMAL INVESTIGATION AND IS ENTERED INTO, ACCORDING TO FEDERAL OFFICIALS, BECAUSE THE POLICE DEPARTMENT HAS PROVEN THEY ARE COMMITTED TO REFORM. RONALD DAVIS: ONCE WE DECIDE TO COME INTO A CITY, FOR EXAMPLE, MILWAUKEE, WE WILL NOW SPEND THE NEXT EIGHT TO TEN MONTHS DOING AN EXTREMELY THOROUGH, INDEPENDENT, OBJECTIVE ASSESSMENT. I REALLY WANT TO REINFORCE THAT BECAUSE I DID READ SOMETHING WHERE PEOPLE WERE ASKING FOR A DEEPER REVIEW. THIS IS EXTREMELY DEEP. THIS IS THE SAME KIND OF REVIEW, ASSESSMENT AND PULLING BACK OF THE LAYERS OF AN ORGANIZATION AS ANY INVESTIGATION THAT WE WOULD DO IN THE DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE. FREDERICA FREYBERG: THE REFORM INITIATIVE IS DESIGNED TO PROVIDE TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE TO AGENCIES FACING, QUOTE, SIGNIFICANT LAW ENFORCEMENT-RELATED ISSUES. CITY OF MILWAUKEE LEADERS LOOK TO THE PROCESS TO IMPROVE CITIZEN-POLICE RELATIONS AND BUILD TRUST. THE ONGOING STATE AND FEDERAL INVESTIGATION INTO ALLEGATIONS OF STAFF AND INMATE VIOLENCE AT WISCONSIN’S JUVENILE CORRECTIONAL FACILITIES BEGS THE QUESTION WHAT IS GOING ON INSIDE LINCOLN HILLS SCHOOL FOR BOYS AND COPPER LAKE SCHOOL FOR GIRLS IN LINCOLN COUNTY? WELL, FOR ONE THING, ABOUT THREE YEARS AGO THE STATE MIGRATED TO SOMETHING CALLED TRAUMA-INFORMED CARE AT THE DETENTION CENTERS. JIM MOESER IS A NATIONAL AND STATE EXPERT IN JUVENILE JUSTICE. AMONG OTHER TITLES, HE’S DEPUTY DIRECTOR OF WISCONSIN COUNCIL ON CHILDREN AND FAMILIES. AND A MEMBER OF THE NATIONAL JUVENILE JUSTICE NETWORK. HE’S ALSO A FORMER ADMINISTRATOR OF WISCONSIN JUVENILE CORRECTIONS. THANKS VERY MUCH FOR BEING HERE. JIM MOESER: THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME. FREDERICA FREYBERG: SO GIVEN YOUR EXPERIENCE AND EXPERTISE, HOW SURPRISED WERE YOU WHEN YOU LEARNED OF THE ALLEGATIONS AT LINCOLN HILLS? JIM MOESER: I DON’T KNOW THAT I WAS SURPRISED ABOUT SOME OF THE CHALLENGES THAT HAVE COME UP WITH MAKING THIS TRANSITION. I WAS CERTAINLY DISCOURAGED AND CONCERNED ABOUT THE NATURE OF SOME OF THE MORE SPECIFIC ALLEGATIONS OF ABUSE OF KIDS AND KNOWING THAT THOSE ARE BEING INVESTIGATED. DON’T NECESSARILY KNOW A LOT ABOUT THE DETAILS. BUT THE FACT THAT THIS TRANSITION CAN BE DIFFICULT WAS NOT A SURPRISE. FREDERICA FREYBERG: THE TRANSITION TO TRAUMA-INFORMED CARE? JIM MOESER: CORRECT. FREDERICA FREYBERG: AND WHAT IS THAT? JIM MOESER: WELL, IT’S REALLY TAKING THE INFORMATION THAT WE KNOW ABOUT HOW KIDS SOMETIMES REACT TO SITUATIONS THEY’RE IN. WHAT KINDS OF INTERVENTIONS WORK BEST WITH THEM. HOW DEALING WITH THEM THROUGH OFTENTIMES SMALLER, VERBAL SKILLS, THE KINDS OF PREVENTIVE WORK WE CAN DO CHANGES KIND OF THE BEHAVIOR MANAGEMENT SYSTEM. CHANGES THE PROGRAMMING THAT GOES ON AT AN INSTITUTION. AND IT’S REALLY IN A LOT OF WAYS — IT’S A GOOD CATCH TERM RIGHT NOW. IT’S A POPULAR TERM. BUT IT’S REALLY ALL ABOUT SORT OF GOOD BEHAVIOR MANAGEMENT AND TEACHING KIDS HOW TO MAKE BETTER DECISIONS AND LEARN NEW SKILLS. FREDERICA FREYBERG: HOW DOES IT DIFFER FROM HOW IT MIGHT USED TO HAVE BEEN DONE? JIM MOESER: I THINK THERE WAS OFTEN A GREATER RELIANCE A COERCION, LONGER PERIODS OF ROOM CONFINEMENT, MAYBE USE OF OTHER KINDS OF PHYSICAL RESTRAINTS TO KIND OF CONTROL BEHAVIOR. AND WE STILL HAVE TO MAKE SURE THERE’S A SAFE ENVIRONMENT FOR KIDS TO LEARN IN. BUT THOSE KINDS OF THINGS DON’T NECESSARILY IN THE LONG RUN HELP TEACH KIDS THE KIND OF NEW BEHAVIOR WE WANT, BECAUSE WE HAVE TO REMEMBER ALL THESE KIDS GET OUT. THEY’RE COMING BACK TO THE COMMUNITY. THE INSTITUTION NEEDS TO BE A PLACE WHERE THEY CAN LEARN NEW SKILLS AND ABILITIES AND HAVE SOME OF THESE THINGS DEALT WITH IN A WAY THAT CAN HELP THEM UPON RETURN. FREDERICA FREYBERG: BUT WHAT’S GOING ON AT LINCOLN HILLS THAT SOMEHOW THERE MAY BE A KIND OF DISCONNECT WITH THIS KIND OF TRAUMA-INFORMED CARE? JIM MOESER: IT’S A DIFFERENT KIND OF BEHAVIOR MANAGEMENT SYSTEM. SOME STAFF CAN ADAPT TO THAT BETTER THAN OTHERS. THERE ARE CONCERNS ABOUT — AND KIDS. THEY’RE A DIFFICULT GROUP OF KIDS. THEY WILL TAKE ADVANTAGE OF INCONSISTENCIES IN STAFF APPROACH. JUST LIKE IF YOU HAVE TWO PARENTS AND A KID AND YOU’RE INCONSISTENT IT CAN CREATE A LOT OF CHAOS. I THINK A LOT OF THAT DIFFERENCE OF OPINION AND INCONSISTENCY AMONG STAFF AND THE RESISTANCY OF SOME TO CHANGE HAS CREATED SOME TENSION WITHIN THE STAFF THAT APPARENTLY HAS BOILED OUT IN SOME INTERACTIONS WITH KIDS. FREDERICA FREYBERG: BECAUSE THIS TRAUMA-INFORMED CARE KIND OF METHOD HAS WORKED ELSEWHERE, RIGHT? JIM MOESER: SURE. IT’S A PROCESS OF GOING THROUGH AND, YOU KNOW, KNOWING THAT STRUCTURING THINGS DIFFERENTLY, SHORTER PERIODS OF CONFINEMENT, OPPORTUNITIES FOR KIDS TO MAKE CHANGES, SOME RESTORATIVE PRACTICE KINDS OF THINGS THAT CAN GO ON THAT GIVE KIDS A CHANCE TO SUCCEED. BUT IT’S — I MEAN, THEIR BEHAVIOR WILL CONTINUE TO BE A CHALLENGE. THAT’S ONE OF THE REASONS THEY’RE THERE. BUT OFTENTIMES THE KIND OF INTERVENTIONS THAT WERE DONE WOULD ACTUALLY MAKE THINGS WORSE IN THE LONG RUN. FREDERICA FREYBERG: BUT YOU ARE IN FAVOR OF THIS TRAUMA-INFORMED CARE. JIM MOESER: YES. I THINK IT’S THE WAY TO GO. IT HAS TO BE INTEGRATED ALONG WITH OTHER ASPECTS OF THE PROGRAM. IT TAKES A LOT OF STAFF TRAINING. IT MAY TAKE MORE STAFF THAN THEY’VE HAD IN THE PAST TO REALLY DO THE RELATIONSHIP-BUILDING, THE KINDS OF THINGS YOU WANT TO DO. THAT’S ALWAYS A CHALLENGE IN AN INSTITUTION, MAKING SURE THERE’S ENOUGH STAFF AND THE RIGHT STAFFING CONFIGURATION. A REALLY WELL-INTEGRATED PROGRAM ALONG WITH BEHAVIOR MANAGEMENT, THE TRAUMA-NFORMED ASPECTS, THE EDUCATIONAL PROGRAM WORKING TOGETHER CAN REALLY IMPROVE KIDS. FREDERICA FREYBERG: HOW INJURIOUS DID THE JUVENILE CORRECTION FACILITIES CLOSED IN SOUTHEAST WISCONSIN FOR BUDGETARY REASONS LEAVING ONLY ONE UP NORTH? JIM MOESER: THAT’S OBVIOUSLY A COMPLEX QUESTION. I THINK AT THE TIME THERE WAS A FEELING THAT LINCOLN HILLS WAS IN A SENSE THE PROGRAM THAT WAS MORE AMENABLE TO CHANGE AND SOME WAYS WAS OPERATING BETTER IN TERMS OF RELATIONSHIP WITH KIDS. THE PROBLEM, OF COURSE, IT CREATED WAS IT’S QUITE A DISTANCE FROM THE SORT OF BULK OF WHERE THE KIDS ARE, SOUTHEAST WISCONSIN. IT ALSO HAS A DIFFERENT LEVEL OF WORK FORCE CAPACITY AND ESPECIALLY THE RACIAL DIFFERENCES AND ETHNIC DIFFERENCES BETWEEN SOUTHEAST WISCONSIN AND NORTHERN WISCONSIN IN TERMS OF WHO KIDS ARE WORKING WITH. SO I THINK THERE WERE SOME POSITIVE THINGS ABOUT IT AND SOME CHALLENGES THAT WERE CREATED BY THE FACT THAT IT’S THERE. AND I THINK A LOT OF HOPE IS — MY HOPE IS CERTAINLY THAT IT SPURS — HOWEVER THIS GOES, THAT IT SPURS SOME DISCUSSION AROUND IS ANY KIND OF LARGE CONGREGATE CARE REALLY FUNCTIONAL? ARE THE OUTCOMES REALLY WHAT YOU WANT AND ARE THERE OPPORTUNITIES TO CREATE NEW PROGRAMS IN SOUTHEAST WISCONSIN? FREDERICA FREYBERG: OKAY. JIM MOESER, WE LEAVE IT THERE. THANK YOU. JIM MOESER: THANK YOU.