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New Corrections Head Vows To Rebuild Public Trust In Agency

Litscher Stays Vague On Lincoln Hills Solutions At Confirmation Hearing

Lincoln Hills School in Irma.  Wisconsin Dept. of Corrections

Newly appointed Department of Corrections Secretary Jon Litscher won’t say what kind of changes he’ll propose to address allegations of child abuse at the state’s youth detention facility. But he is promising to rebuild public trust in the state prison system.

At a confirmation hearing before a state Senate committee Wednesday, Litscher said his top priority will be to increase the DOC’s transparency by meeting with reform advocates.

“Certainly a very major situation for me is to meet with the interest groups to meet with the advocacy groups, to meet with those parental groups to re-establish some faith and trust back into our system of corrections,” Litscher told lawmakers.

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Allegations of abuse at the Lincoln Hills School first came to light in December when state agents began an investigation into claims at the youth prison ranging from sexual assault to misconduct in office.

Members of the statewide prison reform group WISDOM who attended the hearing said that would be a big change.

The group’s Tamarine Hayward said former Secretary Ed Wall consistently refused to respond to their concerns about the overuse of solitary confinement and releasing more parole eligible prisoners parole.

“We have as WISDOM stood outside the DOC, outside the window of Secretary Wall’s office and tried to address him there because he wouldn’t hear us anywhere else. He looked out the window,” Hayward said. “That was about the best we could get because he wouldn’t to listen to us on these issues.”

In his testimony, Litscher also promised to improve prison staff morale, which has been at an all time low under his predecessor.

Wall resigned on Feb. 5. Gov. Scott Walker announced a week later that he had appointed Litscher to the post.

Litscher served as corrections secretary from 1999-2003. He most recently worked as schools superintendent in Cambria.

Editor’s note: This story has been updated with comments from WISDOM’s Tamarine Hayward.