Wisconsin prison officials have reached a legal settlement aimed at bringing sweeping criminal justice reform to its youth prisons.
The settlement provides for “broad changes at the state’s troubled youth prison, (which) include banning guards from using pepper spray, ending solitary confinement for rule-breakers and limiting mechanical restraints and strip searches,” The Associated Press reported in June.
Pending approval from a federal judge, the settlement would include $1 million for ACLU’s attorney fees. ACLU represented the plaintiffs against the state.
“We hope this settlement (will) signal a larger shift in Wisconsin’s juvenile justice system toward an approach that recognizes the unique needs and vulnerabilities of youth and respects their constitutional rights,” said Timothy Muth, ACLU attorney.
The settlement provides for “broad changes at the state’s troubled youth prison, (which) include banning guards from using pepper spray, ending solitary confinement for rule-breakers and limiting mechanical restraints and strip searches,” The Associated Press reported in June.
Pending approval from a federal judge, the settlement would include $1 million for ACLU’s attorney fees. ACLU represented the plaintiffs against the state.
“We hope this settlement (will) signal a larger shift in Wisconsin’s juvenile justice system toward an approach that recognizes the unique needs and vulnerabilities of youth and respects their constitutional rights,” said Timothy Muth, ACLU attorney.
The U.S. Department of Justice has been investigating allegations of widespread abuse of Wisconsin prisons since 2015, according to the AP.
“In March, Wisconsin Department of Corrections reached an $18.9 million settlement with a former juvenile inmate who suffered brain damage after she tried to hang herself in her cell,” AP reported.
“In March, Wisconsin Department of Corrections reached an $18.9 million settlement with a former juvenile inmate who suffered brain damage after she tried to hang herself in her cell,” AP reported.
The girl alleged that staff ignored signs that she was contemplating suicide and didn’t respond to her cell call light when she activated it before she attempted suicide, AP reported.
Wisconsin’s Department of Justice Secretary Ed Wall resigned in February 2016 after the FBI took over the investigation into allegations of abuse at its prisons. The probe is still ongoing, according to AP.
PPI’s “Correctional Control: Incarceration and Supervision by State” is the first report to aggregate data on all types of correctional control nationwide.
https://sanquentinnew.wpengine.com/ca-bill-baring-juveniles-adult-courts/
https://sanquentinnew.wpengine.com/formerly-incarcerated-author-donna-hylton/
