WORK GOVERNOR EVERS SIGNED A
BILL DELAYING CLOSING THE
LINCOLN HILLS PRISON.
HE SAYS MORE TIME IS NEEDED MORE
CONSTRUCTION OF REPLACEMENT
FACILITIES.
PRISON OVER-CROWDING IS THE
FOCUS OUT FROM WISCONSIN WATCH.
GOVERNOR EVERS PLEDGED TO CUT
PRISON POPULATION BY 50%, BUT
THERE ARE NUMEROUS CHALLENGES TO
THAT GOAL.
DEE HALL JOINS US NOW.
THANKS VERY MUCH FOR BEING HERE.
>> THANKS FOR HAVING ME.
>> SO ONE OF THE THINGS THAT
YOUR REPORTER DESCRIBES IS THAT
THE EVERS' CAMPAIGN AGAIN
PROMISED TO CUT THE PRISON
POPULATION BY 50% WHILE AT THE
SAME TIME INCREASING THE
CORRECTIONS BUDGET TO INCREASE
PRISON BEDS BECAUSE OF
OVER-CROWDING.
SO BOTH THINGS ARE TRUE.
>> YES, THEY'RE TRUE AT THIS
MOMENT.
SO THE GOVERNOR HAS STATED THAT
HIS GOAL IS TO IMPROVE THE
CONDITIONS AND THE CONDITIONS
ARE OVERCROWDED.
THE PRISONS ARE ALSO
UNDERSTAFFED.
AND SO WHAT OUR REPORTER ON THIS
STORY FOUND IS THAT THEY ARE
TAKING SORT OF A LONG APPROACH,
WHICH STARTS WITH IMPROVING
CONDITIONS BOTH AT TAYCHEEDAH
AND JACKSON CORRECTIONAL, BUT
ALSO AT THE MILWAUKEE SECURE
DETENTION FACILITY, WHICH IS
GOING TO GET SOME OTHER UPGRADES
BECAUSE IT'S BEEN VERY
CONTROVERSIAL.
>> SO HOW OVERCROWDED ARE OUR
PRISONS AT THIS POINT?
>> ABOUT 33% ABOVE THEIR
DESIGNED CAPACITY RIGHT NOW.
THERE ARE TWO THAT AREN'T
OVERCROWDED.
BUT THEN REALLY THE REST OF
THEM, THE OTHER 18 ADULT PRISONS
ARE OVERCROWDED ANYWHERE FROM
JUST A FEW PERCENTAGE POINTS UP
TO 50% ABOVE THEIR CAPACITY.
>> SO WHAT ARE THE DETAILS AS TO
HOW GOVERNOR EVERS EXPECTS TO
REDUCE THE POPULATION?
>> HE HAS SOME MECHANISMS AT HIS
DISPOSAL AND SOME ARE NOT.
THE ONES AT HIS DISPOSAL INCLUDE
REDUCING OR ELIMINATING
SO-CALLED CLIMBLESS CLIMB CRIMELESS REVOCATIONS,
WHERE A PERSON VIOLATES
CONDITIONS OF THEIR RELEASE AND
IS SENT BACK TO PRISON.
THE OTHER THING WOULD BE TO
BOOST PAROLE.
IN RECENT YEARS WE'VE BEEN IN
SINGLE DIGITS IN TERMS OF THE
PERCENT OF PEOPLE WHO APPLY FOR
AND ARE GRANTED PAROLE.
HE CAN DO A SPECIAL ACTION
RELEASE PROGRAM.
THAT'S A RARELY, RARELY USED
MECHANISM.
WE DON'T KNOW WHEN IT WAS LAST
USED.
WE WEREN'T ABLE TO FIGURE THAT
OUT.
BUT IT IS A SPECIAL MECHANISM
ABOUT 30 YEARS OLD THAT ALLOWS
THE DEPARTMENT OF CORRECTIONS'
SECRETARY TO RELEASE PRISONERS
IN THE EVENT OF AN OVER-CROWDING
INCIDENT.
>> AND THERE ARE SPECIAL
PROVISIONS, THOUGH, AS PART OF
THAT SPECIAL ACTION RELEASE
PROGRAM, RIGHT?
THESE CANNOT PEOPLE WHO ARE IN
PRISON FOR LIFE FOR MURDER, FOR
EXAMPLE?
>> RIGHT.
YOU CAN'T BE SERVING A LIFE
SENTENCE.
SO YOU HAVE TO BE WITHIN 18
MONTHS OF YOUR MANDATORY
RELEASE, WHICH IS AN OLD TERM
ACTUALLY UNDER THE OLD LAW, THE
PRETRUTH-IN-SENTENCING LAW.
THOSE WOULD BE THE FOLKS MOST
AFFECTED BY THIS.
YOU HAVE TO BE CLOSE TO BEING
RELEASED AND NO CONVICTIONS FOR
ASSAULTIVE BEHAVIOR OR ANY
HISTORY OF ASSAULTIVE BEHAVIOR
WITHIN THE PRISON SYSTEM.
>> AND SO THE
TRUTH-IN-SENTENCING LAW WENT
INTO EFFECT IN THE --
>> BEGINNING OF 2000.
>> SO IT WOULD ONLY BE INMATES
CONVICTED BEFORE THAT LAW WENT
INTO EFFECT?
>> THAT'S UNCLEAR TO ME RIGHT
NOW.
BUT, YES, THOSE ARE THE FOLKS
WHO WOULD MEET THE DEFINITION OF
WHAT WE'RE HEARING A SPECIAL
RELEASE INMATE MIGHT BE.
>> AND YET WHAT ARE THE NUMBERS
AS TO HOW MANY PEOPLE HE MIGHT
BE ABLE TO RELEASE UNDER THIS
SPECIAL ACTION PROGRAM?
>> THAT ONE I'M NOT SURE.
THEY DIDN'T HAVE ANY GOOD
ESTIMATES FOR US ON THAT ONE.
WE DO KNOW HUNDREDS IF NOT
THOUSANDS OF INMATES COULD BE
RELEASED IF THE CRIMLESS
REVOCATIONS WERE ELIMINATED.
THAT'S ACCOUNTING FOR 40% OF NEW
PRISON ADMISSIONS, ARE PEOPLE
NOT COMMITTING NEW CRIMES, BUT
ARE VIOLATING TERMS OF THEIR
RELEASE AND BEING SENT BACK TO
PRISON.
>> WHAT KIND OF MALL POLITICAL
REACTION IS THERE TO US?
>> WE HAVE SEEN SOME BIPARTISAN
MOVES IN THIS DIRECTION.
ONE THING THE LEGISLATURE CAN DO
BECAUSE THEY HOLD THE PURSE
STRINGS IS TO INCREASE THE
AMOUNT OF MONEY FOR TREATMENT
AND DIVERSION PROGRAMS.
THERE'S BEEN A LITTLE MORE PUT
INTO THE BUDGET.
THE AMOUNT EVERS WAS SEEKING WAS
DISAPPOINTING TO THE ADVOCATES.
RIGHT NOW IT'S $1 MILLION A YEAR
THAT THEY'LL INCREASE THE
CURRENT PROGRAM.
THAT'S ONE THAT THERE DOES SEEM
TO BE SOME BIPARTISAN BUY-IN.
THERE IS NOT BUY-IN ON THE ISSUE
OF CHANGING THE
TRUTH-IN-SENTENCING LAW AND THAT
HAS BEEN A MAJOR DRIVER OF OUR
PRISON POPULATION, WHICH IS
PROJECTED TO GET TO 25,000,
WHICH WOULD BE A RECORD HIGH IN
THE