A spokesman for the Wisconsin Department of Corrections says inmates at the state's juvenile prisons were not "testing" staff to see how they would respond during a disturbance Sunday that sent give staff members to the hospital.
Spokesman Tristan Cook says inmates confined to their rooms were damaging state property. He says staff responded and "subdued the disruptive youth."
A retired union steward Doug Curtis says staff fear the inmates were practicing for a larger disruption.
U.S. District Judge James Peterson on Tuesday also responded to a pair of lawmakers who raised concerns about his order curbing the use of disciplinary tactics at the prisons. Peterson says, "I will not ignore the safety of either the staff or the youths at Lincoln Hills and Copper Lake Schools."
