Milwaukee County reduces number of inmates in youth prisons By: Associated Press March 1, 2021 6:36 am EDGAR MENDEZ Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service MILWAUKEE (AP) — Although most of the attention paid to juvenile justice has come in response to the state’s failure to meet the January deadline to close the Lincoln Hills and Copper Lake youth prisons, Milwaukee County officials continue to make strides to drastically reduce the number of local youth incarcerated in these institutions. Mark Mertens, administrator of the Division of Youth and Family Services for Milwaukee County, said 22 local youth remain housed at these facilities. “I’m hoping that the closing of Lincoln Hills is a moot point for us by the end of 2021,” said Mertens, who added that the total was 120 just a few years ago. “Our wildest hope was to get down below 50.”