Former Lincoln Hills Librarian: Management Wanted To Keep Problems ‘On The Down-Low’

A former librarian at the Lincoln Hills Juvenile Detention Center says the Department of Corrections administration is to blame for creating an unsafe environment at the school.

The Department of Justice has been investigating allegations of staff mistreating students at the school since January. In a memo released this week, DOC secretary Ed Wall said he believes there is “a culture with some staff that leave youth at risk for harm.”

But Kelly Knudsen, who quit her job at the school in August, said the administration is at fault. She sent the department a letter more than a year ago asking for changes.

“Administration didn’t want to hear it and they weren’t giving us the tools to make it a better place,” said Knudsen. “They just wanted us to keep it on the down-low, on the hush-hush. If we did see something, we were perceived as being negative.”

A Lincoln County judge will hear testimony on problems at the school on Dec. 21 as part of a John Doe investigation that began in October.

The Department of Corrections officials said they can’t comment on complaints like Knudsen’s, citing the ongoing investigation. But in his memo, Wall calls for new intensive training for staff on the appropriate use of force and a requirement that all use-of-force incidents be reported to the department’s internal operation unit and to local law enforcement.

Knudsen said many of the security staff are working 16 hours a day and some students at the school are taking advantage of that.

“These kids are tough and some can be very rambunctious, and they can tell when its stressful for the workers,” she said. “And they can figure out when it’s time to assault another student or make threats.”

Knudsen said she never witnessed any abuse, but she’s seen a lot of turnover in the teaching staff, leading to there not being enough teachers to handle all the classes. She said that means students are kept in their rooms for longer hours because there’s no one to teach all the classes.

In a letter sent to the DOC in October of 2014 Knudsen wrote: “It seems like power and control have gone to our administrators’ heads and they have forgotten or don’t see that they have a very dedicated staff who really do want to do what’s best, but are now dealing with the challenging issue of not being a target and ‘staying off the radar.’”

Asked about the investigation Friday, Gov. Scott Walker said it’s not the time to assign blame for the alleged abuse, and said he believes both staff and youth at the school are safe now thanks to the steps Wall has taken.

Walker said he ordered immediate action two weeks ago when he learned that problems there went beyond just a few incidents. The governor dismissed claims from Union officials and workers like Knudsen that staffing levels and bad management practices created an atmosphere where violence is more likely .

“Issues like that don’t force people to not follow the law of the state and so regardless of what issues people might be raising, the Department of Justice will investigate and we believe that anybody who didn’t follow the law needs to be held accountable,” Walker said.

Editor’s note: This story has been updated with a statement from Gov. Scott Walker.