Releasing kids, housing them in other counties among options to address overcrowding at Milwaukee County's youth detention center
Milwaukee County officials are proposing a series of ways to address the sustained overcrowding at its 127-bed juvenile detention center, including asking other counties to house kids, converting an indoor gym to temporary dormitory-style housing and more.
The county's Vel R. Phillips Juvenile Justice Center has seen a gradual rise in population since last September, reaching a record of 150 youths in May and exceeding its capacity for 82 of the 108 days between April 1 and July 18, according to the state and county.
That's compared to an average population of about 89 over the last 10 years.
The rise — driven in part by a rise in serious crime — has raised concerns among officials at the county and the state Department of Corrections.
"The safety and security of both youth and staff is paramount to the effective operation of the Milwaukee County Juvenile Detention Facility," Amy Vaughn of DOC's Office of Detention Facilities, wrote in a July 18 letter to the county. "The continuous crowding at the facility (recently as high as 150), jeopardizes the ability to maintain effective operations and could potentially cultivate a dangerous environment for all."
Milwaukee County officials are contending with the challenges in the detention center even as they and state officials plan for new state- and county-run facilities to replace Lincoln Hills juvenile prison north of Wausau. Both facilities have started to move forward after lengthy delays.
More: Site on Milwaukee's northwest side would replace Lincoln Hills under plan from Gov. Tony Evers
Being over capacity makes it more difficult for staff to supervise youth, makes operations disjointed, affects youth dialogue with staff and program facilitators, and violates a state administrative rule meant to protect the health, safety and welfare of juveniles in custody, she wrote.
That overcrowding prompted state and county officials to meet June 14 to discuss safety concerns related to the high population and plans to address it, according to a letter to the County Board from county Department of Health and Human Services Director Shakita LaGrant-McClain.
In response, DHHS put forward a plan that included a series of options:
Identifying any youth who can be safely released from the detention center into the community or other placements.
Beginning to look into the possibility of youths being housed in Racine, Dane and Washington counties.
Using receiving and holding cells within the detention center solely for youth to sleep.
Converting an indoor gym for use as temporary dormitory-style housing.
Transferring youth from housing "pods" for those who have been sentenced to create more rooms for general population youth or more floorspace, if needed.
Transferring some youth and detention center staff to the Milwaukee County House of Correction temporarily.
The House of Correction is currently not authorized to house juveniles, Vaughn wrote in her July 18 letter.
The Office of Detention Facilities has approved the plan for Milwaukee County and the county must notify DOC if it implements any elements of that plan, according to a DHHS spokesperson.
During the meeting with the Department of Corrections, DHHS was "strongly encouraged" to use other existing detention facilities, specifically Racine County, to place up to 10 youth, LaGrant-McClain wrote.
DHHS leaders are asking elected officials to approve a contract with Racine County for a maximum of $350,000 through Dec. 31.
The county has already been sending kids to Racine County under a contract signed in November that required any spending over $99,000 to be approved by the Milwaukee County Board. DHHS expects costs to exceed that sum.
The daily rate per Milwaukee County youth housed in Racine is $325 for the general population and $540 for a program similar to one in Milwaukee County into which youth are ordered at disposition — similar to an adult "sentencing."
On Wednesday, DHHS officials reported that there were 118 youths in the Milwaukee County detention center and six in Racine County.
"This is temporary," Kelly Pethke, who heads DHHS's Children, Youth and Family Services division, told a County Board committee Wednesday. "We do plan to move kids back to Milwaukee as soon as possible. We don't want to keep them in Racine but also want to acknowledge that they are getting education, services and are able to then have their own room also in Racine."
Pethke told members of the Committee on Health Equity, Human Needs and Strategic Planning that the department had looked at counties across the state but that Racine is closest and has the largest facility besides Milwaukee's.
Other counties they reached out to do not have the space or the staff, she said.
With only six kids in Racine County this late into the year, Pethke did not anticipate using all of the $350,000.
The committee did not vote on the funding Wednesday. Instead, the Finance Committee on Sept. 15 can recommend approval or denial to the full County Board, which meets Sept. 22.
Contact Alison Dirr at 414-224-2383 or adirr@jrn.com. Follow her on Twitter @AlisonDirr.
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This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Milwaukee County weighs options to ease youth detention overcrowding
