Milwaukee’s long-awaited new juvenile prison has reached another milestone in the years-long construction process.

The end of bidding for contractors to construct the new prison inches the state toward the fulfillment of state law and the closure of Lincoln Hills School for Boys, a Type 1 juvenile correctional facility, the most secure type of juvenile correctional facility in the Wisconsin Department of Corrections system. 

A goal of building the prison in Milwaukee is to have youths who are incarcerated remain in their communities, as stated by Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers’ in a news release. While there is neighborhood opposition to the new prison, those in favor say that it will better support Milwaukee youths in this way.  

Bidding ends

Bidding by potential general prime contractors to build the prison ended on May 22.  

It’s “usually several weeks” before a successful bidder is selected, assuming there is one, Tatyana Warrick, communications director for the Wisconsin Department of Administration, said in an email.

“Contracts are awarded to the lowest bidder who is a qualified and responsible bidder that results in the lowest total construction cost for the project,” she said. 

After a contractor is selected and contracts finalized, groundbreaking can take place. 

The project’s completion date is estimated to be summer of 2026, but the actual date will be set in the construction contract with the contractor, Warrick said. 

When complete, the prison will accommodate approximately 32 boys and employ approximately 70 staff, according to the Department of Corrections. 

Residents’ reactions

The site for the new prison is located on the North Side, at 7930 W. Clinton Ave., the former site of an emissions testing center.

Although the site was approved by the Milwaukee Common Council and Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson, some residents are not pleased. 

Many of their concerns revolve around the perceived risks to nearby residences and businesses posed by a prison in the area.

During a City Plan Commission meeting in December 2022, for example, Margaret Thorn, a nearby resident and block watch captain, expressed safety-related concerns, saying that her house has been broken into twice.

“And what that does to an individual frazzles you,” she said. “They take your stuff but what they give you is fear. And it’s a fear that you can’t get rid of.”

Thorn and her neighbors are unhappy about “this facility being crammed down our throats,” she said.  

Kathy Fulfer, who has lived in the area her whole life, told NNS that “It used to be a lovely place to live with new investments and development. Unfortunately, there has been little positive growth on the far Northwest Side of Milwaukee in many years.”

The proximity to friends and family “will be great for the prisoners, not so great for the surrounding community who have had it forced upon them,” she added. 

Keeping youths closer to home

At the same December commission meeting, Milwaukee County Circuit Judge Judge Lena Taylor, who was then a state senator, disputed the common arguments about negative effects of prisons on nearby neighborhoods. 

“I respect the fears that people have, but they are not warranted,” Taylor said.

The Department of Corrections’ position is that there is no research to support concerns that prisons increase crime or negatively affect property values, Beth Hardtke, director of communications for the department, said in an email. 

Taylor also emphasized how a Milwaukee-area prison will help keep Milwaukee youths incarcerated there connected to their families and communities. 

“I don’t know the Milwaukee that we’ve become. But I believe that this is a part of the Milwaukee that we need to be, which is one that will allow us to heal families,” she said. 

As of May 29, there were 53 boys at Lincoln Hills, according to data provided by the Department of Corrections. Thirty of these boys – over half – are from the Milwaukee area.  

Ald. Larresa Taylor represents District 9, the district in which the prison will be built. She takes a balanced approach to the differing views on the prison.

“I want to fully represent the desires of the community and what is best for them,” she said. 

Devin Blake is the criminal justice reporter for the Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service. His position is funded by the Public Welfare Foundation, which plays no role in editorial decisions in the NNS newsroom.