Staff describe assaults, safety concerns at Lincoln Hills, Copper Lake hearing

Relatives of Lincoln Hills youth counselor Corey Proulx who died from injuries sustained in an assualt, testified before a legislative committee | Screenshot via Wisconsin Eye

The loss of youth counselor Corey Proulx hung heavy over a state Senate hearing in the auditorium of Merrill High School.

Proulx died from injuries he received from an assault at Lincoln Hills School on June 24. On Aug. 6, the Senate Committee on Judiciary and Public Safety heard testimony about Lincoln Hills and Copper Lake Schools, juvenile correctional facilities in Irma, Wisconsin. Multiple Wisconsin Department of Corrections (DOC) administrators and Lincoln Hills staff members wore apparel with Proulx’s name — ribbons on the suits of the administrators, T-shirts for the staff members — but staff and administrators told different narratives about Lincoln Hills in their testimony to the committee.

One tragic event led to the hearing, DOC Secretary-Designee Jared Hoy said, but “we must not lose sight of the good work and significant improvements we have achieved over the years.”

Hoy said he didn’t know “if we will know the answer” to whether Proulx’s death was preventable. He said he has spent hours having hundreds of conversations with staff at Lincoln Hills, and began traveling and working on site at the facility each week since June 25. He said he will remain open to staff suggestions and to making changes.

“We must strike a balance that ensures the safety and well-being of everybody involved,” Hoy said. “We believe in the importance in rehabilitative and evidence-based practices, but that doesn’t mean staff shouldn’t be safe.”

Lawmakers heard testimony from staff and Proulx’s family who argued Lincoln Hills hadn’t found this balance. Cory Proulx’s sister-in-law Sarah Proulx said she feels the tragedy of his death could have been prevented.

“The correctional officers and youth counselors depend on you, those in positions of power, to keep them safe,” Sarah Proulx said. “And with the death of youth counselor Corey Proulx, you have failed all correctional officers.”

Lincoln Hills is not the only facility under scrutiny. Last month, lawmakers heard concerns regarding Wisconsin’s corrections system in an informational hearing of the Assembly Committee on Corrections. The DOC was in negotiations with a consulting and management firm to conduct a review of DOC policies and procedures and offer recommendations, the Examiner reported.

Wisconsin Eye host Lisa Pugh raised the issue of increasing oversight of the Department of Corrections in an interview with two lawmakers featured on Monday. Rep. Mark Born (R-Beaver Dam), co-chair of the joint committee on finance, said he didn’t know what this will look like yet. He said he has started talking with Rep. Michael Schraa (R-Oshkosh), chair of the Assembly Committee on Corrections, about bringing legislation forward next session.

“Right now, we’re thinking about creating something that I’m familiar with from my time working in the county jail, where there’s a state jail inspection office, at DOC, that inspects all the county jails to make sure that you’re complying with state statute and administrative code and constitutional protections,” Born said. “And so I think we’re going to try to develop something similar to that that will have the same type of oversight at the Department of Corrections.”

Staff testify about assaults, safety concerns

Youth counselor Nicole Thompson told the Senate committee how she was assaulted at her job. She said that a youth who made threats to harm staff was taken off administrative confinement and allowed out of his room.

“The youth approached the booth, requesting a toothbrush from me,” Thompson said. “As I was opening the door, he lunged in at me, punching me in the face, causing my tooth to go through my lip and knocking me to the ground. And he proceeded to hit and kick me in the back of the head and neck areas until a supervisor could get him off of me.”

Lincoln Hills youth counselor Michael Teal said an incarcerated youth who has been charged in the aftermath of the attack on Proulx made threats prior to the attack.

“I’ve been talking to a lot of my coworkers, this is where I’m getting my information,” Teal said. “It was brought to the attention of the administration that [the youth] had been making threats… and we didn’t deal with it.”

All staff go through training for a physical intervention program called Mandt, said Klint Trevino, superintendent for Lincoln Hills and Copper Lake. Multiple staff members criticized Mandt.

“Mandt, in my opinion, is not a safe procedure for staff to be using,” Teal said.

Letters from Evers, Republicans present clashing views on juvenile corrections

Trevino said it is a misconception that individuals can’t use restraints, and that youth counselors can place a youth in handcuffs if they feel there is an imminent threat of danger. Teal testified that he hadn’t thought he had the authority to cuff someone.

Worker compensation claims, staff injuries and staff fearing for their safety have declined since Mandt was implemented, said Ron Hermes, administrator of the Division of Juvenile Corrections.

“I fully acknowledge, since Cory’s death, there has been an increase of staff fearing for their safety and an uneasiness around interactions with the youth,” Hermes said. “This is to be expected after such a traumatic event. The trust that existed between staff and youth has been fractured. It will take time for that trust to be restored.”

Sen. Mary Felzkowski (R-Tomahawk) said that on July 8, she attended a meeting for past or current staff and families connected to Lincoln Hills.

“We had over 40, maybe 45 people came to that,” Felzkowski said at the hearing. “And they’re angry. They’re afraid. Much different testimony than what we’re hearing from you today.”

Across the two schools, the number of youth completed assaults on staff has declined from 189 in fiscal year (FY) 2021 to 166 in FY 2023, according to Department of Corrections data . Lincoln Hills had 44 completed assaults during the first eleven months of FY 2024, while Copper Lake had 106.

This DOC data categorizes incidents as either “completed” assaults or “attempted” assaults. According to the data, youth assault of staff has become less common at Lincoln Hills, but when a reported assault does happen, it is more likely to be successful.

In FY 2017, about three-quarters of the assaults on staff were completed, according to the DOC, while the other quarter were classified as “attempted.” For the first eleven months of FY 2024, 93% of assaults were successful assaults.

Staff, family members call for change

Sarah Proulx suggested policy changes, including keeping incarcerated juveniles in a separate unit until their mental health and well-being are known. She advocated for new limits on hygiene products with irritants, saying that conditioner was used as a weapon to attack Cory Proulx’s partner.

“We understand that, in the past, there were correctional officers and youth counselors who abused their positions of power with excessive use of solitary confinement and the use of bear mace or pepper spray,” Sarah Proulx said. “However, the transgressions of a few should not affect the safety of all.”

The Department of Corrections is under a court-ordered consent decree following a lawsuit from the American Civil Liberties Union of Wisconsin that cited abuses of youth detainees. The consent decree mandated changes to Lincoln Hills and Copper Lake, and Hoy said the consent decree does not allow for the use of pepper spray.

Prohibiting the use of chemical agents and pepper spray in youth facilities “is backed by research and aligns with national norms and trends,” Hermes said, “demonstrating our dedication to creating a safer and more supportive environment for the youth in our care.”

Randy Forsterling, who used to be incarcerated at Lincoln Hills, also testified at the hearing. He said he hopes that “when we think about quality, and what we’re doing here,” that means getting quality training and sentences.

“Because otherwise we’re going to just keep having these same hearings, over and over, and it’s not going to matter who’s in charge or who’s responsible,” Forsterling said.

In her testimony to lawmakers, Sarah Proulx supported helping staff as well as incarcerated people impacted by the loss of Cory Proulx.

“Because to youth counselor Cory Proulx, they were more than ‘just inmates,’” Sarah Proulx said. “They were young men with whom stories were shared and respect was given.”

The Department of Corrections did not send replies to questions from the Examiner.

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