Tag: Wisconsin Department of Corrections

My goodness, the news coming out of Madison this week makes it seem that nobody but nobody in Governor Walker’s administration has any idea on how to responsibly run the joint! I mean really! First we have reports that the Wisconsin Department of Transportation has overpaid at least one contractor…

There have been competing articles in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel about the issues surrounding the various Wisconsin Department Of Correction facilities. Much of it relates to budget issues and employment issues. Apparently the DOC can’t hire enough guards and security personnel to keep the facilities safe and running correctly. And…

This is completely unsurprising. The state Department of Corrections gave at least eight high-level workers up to 15% in pay increases over the past year, including four who collected three raises or bonuses in six months. The significant raises for the prison psychologists were among those uncovered in a new…

Last week Friday, Republican Gov. Scott Walker’s administration outlined a list of cuts it would make to balance the state budget. Among the cuts was $9.4 million in cuts to the Department of Corrections, with some of those cuts targeting the state prison system, not to mention $900,000 in cuts…

As reported by Jason Stein of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel earlier today, the Wisconsin National Guard has toured more than one correctional institution in the state, as confirmed by a spokesperson for the National Guard. On Monday it was reported National Guard members had toured Redgranite Correctional Institution last week,…

In an interview with the Capital Times editorial board on May 26, Department of Corrections Secretary Rick Raemisch said he plans to shift the Department’s early release programs into high gear. Speaking about the early release programs implemented by Act 28, Raemisch noted, “I want a program so successful and…

Just so we’re clear, I’m no fan of Wisconsin Act 28, which brought about sweeping reforms to Wisconsin’s Truth in Sentencing laws, including provisions that allowed for multiple early-release programs for inmates in Wisconsin prisons, including inmates convicted of violent offenses. Having made that point abundantly clear, I’d like to…

Last month, two inmates being held at Stanley Correctional Institution walked out the front gates of the institution to freedom. While that’s not necessarily newsworthy, what is worth mentioning is the fact that neither inmate was eligible to be released; they used forged release paperwork to gain their release. According…

Milwaukee Police Chief Ed Flynn, Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett and Milwaukee County District Attorney John T. Chisholm all expressed concern Wednesday about the effects that the early release of some prisoners as a result of Wisconsin Act 28 could have on the city of Milwaukee. The Wisconsin Department of Corrections…

This is exactly why I think some provisions of Wisconsin Act 28 were poorly implemented (emphasis mine): Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn reversed a secret policy Wednesday that allowed more than 1,700 inmates to be released from state prison early, some of whom have already been sent back for new offenses,…