Democratic leaders renewed their calls Monday for an audit of the state Department of Corrections after allegations of abuse at the Lincoln Hills juvenile facility in Irma.
Assembly Minority Leader Peter Barca, D-Kenosha, and three other top Democrats sent a letter to the Joint Legislative Audit Committee in an effort to spur on a closer look at the state’s correctional facilities.
Public outcry has mounted after a Milwaukee Journal Sentinel investigation alleging that workers at the Lincoln Hills and Copper Lake juvenile facilities committed acts of abuse, sexual assault and intimidation of inmates.
The scandal has forced the resignation of former Corrections Secretary Ed Wall, and over a dozen prison staffers have been placed on leave.
Lawmakers said in the letter that an audit of the DOC would hold staff accountable, as well as provide a plan for future reforms within the state prison system.
“The situation can no longer be ignored,” the letter said. “An audit … would bring much-needed transparency and equally important recommendations for corrective actions and stronger safety measures to address this growing crisis.”
The letter comes after several Democratic members of the Assembly Committee on Children and Families tried to force a discussion of the controversy last week during a hearing on the annual child abuse report.
Committee Chair Jessie Rodriguez, R-Oak Creek, decried the hearing as an attempt by Democrats to score political points.
“Committee members were aware of the agenda a full week prior to the hearing, and had ample time to contact the chair and request items be added to the agenda,” Rodriguez said in a statement. “None of the democratic members of the committee contacted me or my office to request a discussion of the incidents at Lincoln Hills be added to the agenda.”
Democrats allege that documents obtained by the Journal Sentinel show that Gov. Scott Walker’s administration knew of the abuses at Lincoln Hills as far back as 2012.
