Here & Now

Overcrowding In Milwaukee County Juvenile Detention Center

FREDERICA FREYBERG:

ALSO IN MILWAUKEE COUNTY A JUVENILE CORRECTIONS PROBLEM. OVERCROWDING AT A COUNTY FACILITY DUE AT LEAST IN PART TO INMATES BEING TRANSFERRED OUT OF THE LINCOLN HILLS YOUTH PRISON IN NORTHERN WISCONSIN. TRANSFERRED OUT IN THE MIDST OF A FEDERAL INVESTIGATION INTO ALLEGED ABUSE AT THE PRISON. MILWAUKEE COUNTY CHIEF JUDGE MAXINE WHITE ALERTED OFFICIALS THIS SPRING THAT CARE AT THE YOUTH PRISON WAS NOT APPROPRIATE AND COUNTY SUPERVISORS DECLARED A STATE OF EMERGENCY OVER THE ISSUE. JUDGE WHITE JOINS US NOW FROM MILWAUKEE. THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE.

MAXINE WHITE:

THANK YOU. THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME.

FREDERICA FREYBERG:

SO WHAT, AS YOU UNDERSTAND IT, IS THE OVERCROWDING SITUATION AT THE MILWAUKEE COUNTY JUVENILE DETENTION CENTER?

MAXINE WHITE:

WELL, ACTUALLY AT THE MILWAUKEE COUNTY, THE DETENTION CENTER LOCATED IN MILWAUKEE WE HAVE A CAPACITY OF 120 SPOTS. AT TIMES BECAUSE OF THE CRISIS AT LINCOLN HILLS, WE’VE EXCEEDED THAT ABOUT SEVEN TO TEN KIDS. AS OF THE COUNT TODAY, IT’S 113. IT FLUCTUATES BECAUSE IT IS THE TYPE OF SYSTEM WE USE FOR SANCTIONS FOR HOLDING KIDS WHO ARE AWAITING COURT HEARINGS, SO THE NUMBER FLUCTUATES BETWEEN ANYWHERE FROM 113 UP TO ABOUT 130.

FREDERICA FREYBERG:

HOW MANY INMATES FROM LINCOLN HILLS HAVE BEEN TRANSFERRED BACK TO MILWAUKEE?

MAXINE WHITE:

NOT VERY MANY. I’M TOLD VARIOUS NUMBERS. PART OF THE PROBLEM WE HAVE IS WE DON’T GET GOOD COOPERATION FROM THE D.O.C. OFFICIALS. I CAN’T EVEN KNOW WHAT THEIR CENSUS IS AT ANY GIVEN MOMENT IN TIME. WE DO KNOW THAT WE HAVE HAD ABOUT FIVE CASES WHERE JUDGES HAVE CONCLUDED THAT THEY HAVE NO OPTION BUT TO SEND THE KIDS BACK BECAUSE OF THE RISK LEVEL ASSOCIATED WITH THE CONDUCT. OTHER TIMES WE ARE ABLE TO FIND COMMUNITY-BASED CARE OPTIONS OR OTHER METHODOLOGIES FOR DEALING WITH THE KIDS. IN ADDITION TO THE DETENTION DAYS THAT WE GIVE THEM RIGHT HERE IN MILWAUKEE.

FREDERICA FREYBERG:

ARE JUDGES SENTENCING MILWAUKEE COUNTY YOUTH TO THE NORTHERN PRISONS ANYMORE?

MAXINE WHITE:

FEWER ARE BEING SENTENCED BECAUSE OF SEVERAL THINGS. BUT MOST SUBSTANTIALLY NOW IN OUR MINDS IS BECAUSE OF THE CONDITIONS AT LINCOLN HILLS. IF WE HAD OTHER OPTIONS WE WOULD NOT USE LINCOLN HILLS. IT IS NOT APPROPRIATE. IT IS UNDERSTAFFED. IT HAS ESSENTIALLY NOT LIVED UP TO THE CONTRACT THAT WE HAVE WITH IT. THE MISSION STATEMENT OF THE ORGANIZATION SUGGESTS THEY’LL GIVE US A LOT MORE THAN WE’RE GETTING FOR OUR $300 PER DAY PER KID. AND SO FOR THE HIGH LEVEL RISK ASSOCIATED WITH ABOUT 50 OF THE 150 KIDS, WE HAVE NO OTHER OPTION. WE CONTINUE TO STRUGGLE WITH LOOKING FOR OPTIONS. BUT REMEMBER, WE ARE DUTY BOUND TO LOOK FOR A SAFE, AS WELL AS WORKABLE SOLUTION FOR EACH OF OUR CHILDREN. LINCOLN HILLS IS A STOP GAP FOR US NOW. IF WE HAD ANY OTHER OPTION WE WOULD NOT USE IT. IT’S DEPLORABLE.

FREDERICA FREYBERG:

YOU DESCRIBE THIS AS A NIGHTMARE. HOW SO?

MAXINE WHITE:

IT’S A NIGHTMARE BECAUSE AS A JUDGE, WE HAVE A CONSTITUTIONAL DUTY TO CARRY OUT THE BUSINESS OF THIS STATE. WE ARE DUTY BOUND TO FOLLOW OUR MISSION WHICH TELLS US THAT WE MUST PROTECT THE RIGHTS, LIBERTIES AND PRIVILEGES OF THE CITIZENS THAT COME BEFORE US. WE MUST ALSO MAINTAIN THE RULE OF LAW. WHEN WE HAVE A PARTNER IN THE JUSTICE SYSTEM THAT IS NOT PERFORMING THAT’S CRITICAL TO OUR DUTY AND OUR MISSION, WE’RE AT A STAND STILL. WE ARE AT A LOSS FOR WHAT TO DO. WE DON’T SEEM TO GET THE RESPONSE THAT WE NEED FROM THE STATE. THEY ARE THE ONES WHO ARE CONSTITUTIONALLY IN THIS LINE OF CHAIN OF OBLIGATIONS TO DO WHAT THEY’RE NOT DOING NOW, THAT IS GIVE US A PLACE TO PUT KIDS THAT NEED THE TYPE OF ENVIRONMENT THAT WE COULD CREATE IN AN APPROPRIATE LINCOLN HILLS.

FREDERICA FREYBERG:

WHAT IS HAPPENING AT LINCOLN HILLS?

MAXINE WHITE:

NOT MUCH. WHEN I WAS THERE ON JANUARY 15th, WHAT I SAW AND WHAT I DESCRIBE IT AS TODAY, BECAUSE NOTHING HAS DEFIED THE SUBSTANTIATION THAT I KNOW IT TO BE. IT IS INCAPABLE OF DOING ANYTHING BUT DETAINING KIDS IN SILOS. THEY’RE IN THEIR ROOMS. THERE ARE VERY LITTLE ACTIVITIES. THERE IS ALMOST NO INTERPERSONAL EXCHANGE. IT’S LOCATED EVEN IN ITS BEST DAY A SEVEN HOUR ROUND-TRIP FROM MILWAUKEE. IT’S 3 1/2 — ABOUT 240 MILES EACH WAY. SO YOU DON’T GET THE IMMERSION OF THE KIDS IN A COMMUNITY-BASED RELATIONSHIP BUILDING ENVIRONMENT. YOU DON’T GET THE THERAPEUTIC JUSTICE IN-HOUSE AND YOU CAN’T HAVE IT IN THE COMMUNITY BECAUSE OF THE DISTANCE. NOTHING IS GOING ON THERE EXCEPT DETAINMENT. WE’RE HEARING FROM THE EMPLOYEES THERE. THEY’RE WORKING EXHAUSTINGLY LENGTHY HOURS, 16 TO 18 HOUR DAYS. THEY ARE UNDERSTAFFED, CRITICALLY UNDERSTAFFED. I THINK THE LAST ARTICLE I READ WAS A FEW DAYS AGO, APRIL 17th. SAID THAT LINCOLN HILLS FACES HEAVY STAFF VACANCIES. I GET MORE NEWS FROM PATRICK MARLEY AND JASON STEIN OF THE JOURNAL THAN I DO FROM THE SECRETARY OF THE DEPARTMENT OF CORRECTIONS. HE HASN’T BEEN ABLE TO ANSWER THE QUESTION FOR ME YET.

FREDERICA FREYBERG:

DO YOU HAVE HOPE IN THE FEDERAL INVESTIGATION NOW THAT THE STATE JOHN DOE INVESTIGATION HAS BEEN TERMINATED?

MAXINE WHITE:

WELL, I HAVE HOPE IN OUR GOVERNMENT. I WILL CONTINUE TO HAVE HOPE IN A GOVERNMENT THAT I BELIEVE IN. I DON’T UNDERSTAND WHY IT’S TAKEN SO LONG FOR A RESPONSIBLE ARM OF THE GOVERNMENT TO TELL US WHAT’S GOING ON AND TO RESPOND TO THE NEEDS OF THE COURT. WE HAVEN’T HEARD FROM ANYONE. WE HAVEN’T HEARD FROM THE ATTORNEY GENERAL AS TO ANY RESULTS. WE DIDN’T HEAR ANY RESULTS FROM THE LINCOLN HILLS JOHN DOE, FROM THE LINCOLN COUNTY JOHN DOE. AND WE HAVEN’T HEARD DIRECTLY FROM THE FEDERAL AUTHORITIES ABOUT EITHER THE GRAND JURY OR THE CIVIL RIGHTS INVESTIGATION. WE’VE HAD NO CONTACTS. I HAVE HOPE THAT THEY WILL DO SOMETHING BIG AND BOLD TO SOLVE THE PROBLEM FOR OUR CHILDREN.

FREDERICA FREYBERG:

DO YOU UNDERSTAND THAT IF, AS YOU DESCRIBE, THE CHILDREN ARE SILOED, AT LEAST THEY ARE SAFE?

MAXINE WHITE:

WELL, PEOPLE USE THE WORD SAFE AS IF THEY’RE TALKING ABOUT AN OPPORTUNITY TO KEEP SOMEONE AWAY FROM HARM. THE BENEFIT OF OUR BARGAIN IS FOUND IN THEIR MISSION STATEMENT. IF WE FIND AS A COURT SYSTEM THAT WE HAVE CHILDREN WHO HAVE SERIOUS NEEDS, MENTAL HEALTH OR OTHER THERAPEUTIC BEHAVIOR PROBLEMS. THEY’VE ACTED OUT CRIMINALLY. THEY’RE NOT EDUCATED. THEY ARE THERE FROM 14 TO 17 1/2. THAT’S THEIR OPPORTUNITY TO GET WHAT WE BARGAINED FOR. THEY’RE NOT GETTING THAT. WHEN THEY’RE RETURNED TO THE STREETS OF THE COMMUNITIES THROUGHOUT WISCONSIN, THEY CREATE MORE OF A DANGER THAN THEY WOULD HAVE IF WE HADN’T SENT THEM THERE IN THE FIRST PLACE. THE PROBLEM IS, WE ARE NOT DOING ANYTHING BUT DETAINING THEM.

FREDERICA FREYBERG:

WE NEED TO LEAVE IT THERE. CHIEF JUDGE MAXINE WHITE. THANK YOU VERY MUCH.

MAXINE WHITE:

THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME AND THANK YOU FOR YOUR CONCERN FOR THE CHILDREN OF THIS STATE.