THANKS.
%WISCONSIN
PRISONS ARE
BUSTING AT
%THE
SEAMS.
%NEARLY 6,000
INMATES
OVER
%CAPACITY.
%WITH
POPULATION STEAD
LEA ON
THE
%RISE.
%AT THE SAME
TIME,
THE
MOST
%RECENT
STATE
BUDGET
FUNDS
A
14%
%INCREASE IN
STARTING
PAY
FOR
%CORRECTIONAL OFFICERS IN
EFFORTS
%TO
FILL
VACANCIES AMONG
GUARDS.
%ADD
TO
THAT
WORK
TO
REPLACE
THE
%TROUBLED
WISCONSIN
YOUTH
%PRISONS, AND
IT'S
A
FULL
PLATE
%FOR THE
NEW DEPARTMENT OF
%CORRECTIONS
SECRETARY-DESIGNEE%KEVIN CARR.
%WE
TALKED
WITH
HIM
AT
HIS
%OFFICE.
%IN TERMS
OF
PRISON
POPULATION,%WHAT
BLAMES
THE
PRISON
SYSTEM%OVER
INMATE
CAPACITY?%>> I
THINK THERE'S
A
NUMBER
OF
%FACTORS
THAT
GO
INTO
OUR
CURRENT
%PRISON
POPULATION.
%MOST
NOTABLY,
THE
CURRENT
%SENTENCING
STRUCTURE IN
THE
%STATE OF
WISCONSIN,
TRUTH
IN
%SENTENCING HAS
PUT
US
IN
A
%POSITION WHERE
MANY OF
THE
%PEOPLE
THAT
ARE
CURRENTLY
%SERVING 16
TEPSES
IN
PRISON
%DON'T
HAVE --
SENTENCES I
N
%PRISON DON'T HAVE
THE
%OPPORTUNITY
FOR
PAROLE,
AND
%THAT, I
THINK,
IS ONE OF
THE
%MORE
SIGNIFICANT
FACTORS
THAT
%HAS
LED
TO
OUR
INCREASED
%POPULATION.%>>
BUT AT THE SAME
TIME,
YOU
%NEED
MORE
CORRECTIONAL
OFFICERS.
%HOW MANY
MORE?%>>
WELL,
RIGHT
NOW,
WE
HAVE
%ABOUT 760
VACANCIES IN
THE%DEPARTMENT OF
CORRECTIONS.
%OUR
OVERALL
VACANCY
RATE
%INCLUDING MEDICAL
STAFF,
%TEACHERS,
SOCIAL
WORKERS,
%ADMINISTRATIVE STAFF AND
%SECURITY STAFF
IS
ABOUT
16%.
%>>
AND
WHAT IS
THAT NUMBER
LIKE?
%IS
THAT
A
CRISIS?%>>
WELL,
YOU
KNOW,
IT'S
%CERTAINLY
A
CHALLENGE
FOR
US
%EVERY
DAY.
%I
WOULD
DESCRIBE
IT
NOT AS A
%CRISIS BUT
CERTAINLY
A
SERIOUS
%SITUATION.%>>
HOW
WELL
HAVE
OVERALL
RAISES
%AND
INCENTIVE PAY
T
O
WORK AT
THE
%MAX
SECURITY
INSTITUTIONS
WORKED
%TO
ATTRACT
OFFICERS?%>>
WELL,
IT
HAS
WORK
ED
IN
OUR
%OPINION
VERY WELL
TO
ATTRACT
NEW
%OFFICERS IN
THE
DOOR.
%WE
CURRENTLY -- OUR
LAST TWO
%ACADEMY
CLASSES
HAVE
HAD
%APPROXIMATELY 70 INDIVIDUALS IN%
THE
CLASSES, AND
THAT
IS MORE
%THAN
THERE
HAD
BEEN FOR
ANY OF%THE
CLASSES IN
THE
PREVIOUS
FEW
%YEARS.
%AND
THE
MAJORITY
OF
THOSE
FOLKS
%HAVE APPLIED
TO
WORK
AT
THE
%MAXIMUM
SECURITY
INSTITUTIONS
%THAT
WERE
IMPACTED BY
THE $5
%ADD-ON.%>> IN
TERMS
OF
OVERCROWDING
AND
%UNDERSTAFFING,
HOW
DANGEROUS
%DOES
IT
MAKE
FOR
BOTH
INMATES
%AND
STAFF
?
%>>
IT
CERTAINLY
DOES
MAKE
THINGS
%LESS SAFE
T
O
HAVE
STAFF
%SHORTAGES, AND
IT
IMPACTS
THE
%ABILITY FOR
US
TO
PROVIDE
%SERVICES AND
PROGRAMMING
TO
%THOSE WE
CARE
FOR
OUR
%FACILITIES, BUT I
HAVE
TO
CREDIT
%THE
STAFF
AT
OUR
FACILITIES, OUR
%CORRECTIONAL
OFFICERS
AND
STAFF
%THERE
DO
A
TERRIFIC
JOB
UNDER
%VERY
TRY
CIRCUMSTANCES, AND
%ALTHOUGH
WE
HAVE
A
GREAT
%INVESTMENT
IN
OUR
STAFF
MADE BY
%THE
GOVERNOR'S
BUDGET
WHERE H
E
%PUT
IN $36 MILLION
OF
NEW
MONEY
%TOWARDS
PAYING
THE
WAGES
OF
%SECURITY STAFF
AT
OUR
%FACILITIES,
IT'S
A
STEP IN
THE
%RIGHT
DIRECTION, BUT
THERE'S
%MORE WORK
TO
BE
DONE
IN
THAT
%AREA IN
ORDER
TO
PAY
OUR
FOLKS
%WHAT THEY
DESERVE
TO
BE
PAID.%>>
ON THE
ISSUE OF
RISING
%NUMBERS OF
INMATES,
SEVERAL
%REPORTS FOCUS
ON
WHAT
ADVOCATES
%CALL
CRIMELESS
REVOCATION,
THOSE
%BEING
REVOCATIONS
WITH
NO
NEW
%CONVICTIONS
THAT
REPRESENT MORE
%THAN 35%
OF
ALL
NEW
PRISON
%ADMISSIONS
TO
REDUCE
THE
NUMBERS
%AS
YOU
KNOW, GOVERNOR EVERS SAID
%HE
WOULD
LOOK A
T
POSSIBLY
%HALTING
REINCOURSE RANGE OF%MOTION FOR
RULE
VIOLATIONS.
%HOW
COMPLICATED COULD THAT
BE?
%>>
WELL, IT
IS
COMPLICATED
AND
%FROM THE DAY THAT I
WAS
%APPOINTED
AS
THE SECRETARY OF
%CORRECTIONS,
MY
VERY FIRST
DAY%ON THE
JOB,
I
TASKED
MY DIVISION
%OF
COMMUNITY
CORRECTIONS T
O COME
%UP
WITH
A
PLAN
TO
ADDRESS
THAT
%SPECIFIC AREA O
F
CRIMELESS
%REVOCATIONS AND
HOW
WE
CAN
DO
%MUCH
BETTER
IN
THAT
AREA.%>>
WOULD
IT TAKE
A
DIFFERENT
%KIND
OF
METHOD
FOR
REINTEGRATION
%FOLLOWING
PRISON -- YOU
KNOW,
%GETTING OUT OF
PRISON?%>>
WELL,
YOU'RE
TALKING
ABOUT
%RE-ENTRY EFFORTS,
I
THINK,
AND
%THE
GOVERNOR
HAS
PUT
IN
OUR
%BUDGET
ADDITIONAL
DOLLARS
FOR
%RE-ENTRY
PROGRAMS SUCH
AS
OUR
%OPENING
AVENUES
FOR
RE-ENTRY
%SUCCESS
PROGRAM
AND
JOB
CENTERS
%THAT ARE
LOCATED
IN
OUR
%FACILITIES
THAT
HELP MAKE
THOSE
%THAT WE CARE FOR
IN
OUR
%FACILITIES READY TO
BE
EMPLOYED
%UPON
RELEASE
FROM
OUR
%FACILITIES.
%BUT
I
WOULD
ALSO
ADD,
THE
%GOVERNOR AND
I
BOTH
BELIEVE
VERY
%STRONGLY THAT IN ORDER
FOR
US
TO
%HAVE
THE
MAXIMUM
EFFECTIVENESS
%IN
REDUCING
RECIDIVISM, WE
HAVE
%TO
PROVIDE
MORE
PROGRAMS
AND
%SUPPORTS FOR THOSE
THAT
ARE
ON
%SUPERVISION
IN
OUR
COMMUNITIES,
%NOT
ONLY
ON THE
BACK
END
WHEN
%THEY
COME OUT
OF
OUR
FACILITIES,
%BUT
THERE NEEDS
TO
BE
MORE
%PROGRAMMING IN
GENERAL
IN MENTAL
%HEALTH, DRUG
TREATMENT
AND
JOB
%TRAINING ON THE
FRONT
END
THAT
%WOULD KEEP
PEOPLE
FROM
COMING IN
%TO
THE
SYSTEM IN
THE FIRST
%PLACE.%>> IS
THERE ANY
WAY
TO
REDUCE
%THE
PRISON
POPULATION
BY
50%,
%WHICH GOVERNOR EVERS SAYS
H
E
IS
%STILL
COMMITTED
TO?
%>>
WELL,
THE
GOVERNOR
HAS
NOT
%SPECIFIC TOLD
ME,
KEVIN,
HERE'S
%THE
KEYS,
LET
50% OF
THE
PEOPLE
%OUT,
IN
A
CERTAIN
AMOUNT
OF
%TIME.
%THE
GOVERNOR AND
I
HAVE
HAD
MANY
%CONVERSATIONS ABOUT HOW
TO
%REDUCE THE
PRISON
POPULATION.
%THE FIRST
AND
FOREMOST
THING
%THAT GOVERNOR EVERS HAS
INSISTED
%ON IS
THAT
WE
KEEP
PUBLIC
SAFETY%FIRST
AND FOUR
MOST
I
N
OUR
%LINES.
%ANY
INMATE
POPULATION REDUCTIONS
%THAT WILL
OCCUR
WILL
OCCUR
IN A
%VERY
THOUGHTFUL
MANNER.%>>
WHAT IS
THE
STATUS
OF
WHEN
%THOSE WILL CLOSE
AND
BE
REPLACED
%WITH THESE
REGIONAL
FACILITIES?%>>
WELL, THERE WAS A
TRAILER
%BILL THAT WAS
JUST
PASS
IN
THE
%BUDGET
FOR
ACT
185 THAT
EXTENDED
%THE
DEADLINE
TO
JULY 1ST, 2021
%AS
TO
WHEN IT WILL
BE CLOSED.
%WE'RE GOING
TO
DO
EVERYTHING
%THAT WE
CAN
TO
MEET
THAT
%DEADLINE,
BUT OF
COURSE
THE
GHOF
%GOVERNOR AND
I
ARE
COMMITTED
TO
%CLOSING
LINCOLN
HILLS AS SOON AS%POSSIBLE AND WHE
N
WE
HAVE
%APPROPRIATE
PLACES
TO
PLACE
OUR
%YOUTH.%>>
IN
THE
OVERALL
PRISON
%POPULATIONS, HOW
KERPING
IS THE
%INKRARS RANGE OF
MOTION
RATE --
%PUTTING
WISCONSIN SECOND IN THE
%NATION FOR
RACIAL
DISPARITY?%>>
IT'S VERY
CONCERNING TO
THE
%GOVERNOR
AND
WE
ARE
LOOKING AT
%WAYS THAT
WE
CAN
INCREASE THE
%LEVEL OF
FAIRNESS
FOR
ALL
%PERSONS IN
THE STATE OF
%WISCONSIN THAT
ARE
INVOLVED IN
%THE
CRIMINAL
JUSTICE
SYSTEM.%>> ALL
RIGHT.