During the 1955-1967 period the Division of Corrections supervised four institutions for juvenile delinquents: the Wisconsin School for Boys at Wales, the Wisconsin School for Boys at Waukesha, the Kettle Moraine Boys School and the Wisconsin School for Girls at Oregon. The Wisconsin School for Boys at Waukesha was abandoned when the Kettle Moraine Boys School was completed in 1962.
All delinquent boys were initially admitted to the reception center at Wales. After a diagnostic period they were placed in foster or group homes, returned to their own homes under supervision, or transferred to the Waukesha (before 1962) or Kettle Moraine (after 1962) facilities. The Waukesha and Kettle Moraine programs emphasized academic education and pre-vocational training. After 1962, older, more recalcitrant boys were retained at the Wales facility where the treatment was focused on vocational training. Finally, a few of the most serious male juvenile offenders over the age of 15 were committed to the Wisconsin State Reformatory at Green Bay.
Delinquent girls were committed to the Wisconsin School for Girls, located between Madison and Oregon. After an initial diagnostic period, they were placed in foster care or retained at the institution for academic and pre-vocational training.
