Legislators Want to Reduce Costs of Juvenile Facilities

MADISON, Wis.?Because the number of wards in secure juvenile facilities has declined by nearly 350 since 1995-1996 ?from 1,038 to 659?the Legislature’s Joint Finance Committee has voted to instruct the Department of Corrections to close one of three existing facilities or find some other way to reduce the daily cost of incarceration. The number of juveniles in custody has declined because of an increase in alternative punishments and because 17-year-olds are now being sent to adult facilities.

State correction officials, however, say that any changes to the system would be detrimental. They say that the current daily rate is necessary to provide appropriate care and treatment for juvenile offenders. If the Legislature forces the department to reduce its day rate, youth counselors and teachers may have to be cut, say corrections officials, and if one facility is closed, the others could become overcrowded. One reason why costs are so high, says one official, is because many of the juveniles in custody require special education, which is expensive.