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Dane County is home to pilot program that provides lawyers for immigrants - Wisconsin Watch

May 19th, 2019
Stuck in detention: For immigrants without lawyers, justice is hard to find
We are Wisconsin Watch. Here’s why you can trust us:
Wisconsin Watch is a nonpartisan, nonprofit investigative news outlet. We increase the quality and quantity of investigative reporting in Wisconsin, while training current and future investigative journalists. Our work fosters an informed citizenry and strengthens democracy.
We currently have reporters based in Madison, Milwaukee, and Oshkosh, and have other members of our robust editorial and business teams located across the state. We collaborate and share our content with mainstream and niche media across Wisconsin and the nation.
We are  a 501(c)(3) charitable organization operated by a professional staff  under the guidance of a nationally noted board of directors. Our legal name is Wisconsin Center for Investigative Journalism (WCIJ Inc.).
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Reading Time:  3 minutespost
Dane County, Wisconsin, has been selected as one of 13 sites across the country to test a new model: a public-defender-style system aimed at providing a lawyer to every detained, indigent immigrant.
The program is funded by the Vera Institute of Justice, a philanthropic organization that aims to improve justice systems. The pilot program, called the SAFE Cities Network, is based on a similar project in New York, the first such model in the country. The program aims to “ensure that no immigrant will be detained and permanently separated from his or her family solely because of the inability to afford a lawyer,” the Vera Institute said.
Separately, a handful of local governments, including Fairfax County, Virginia, and Portland, Oregon, also have established their own publicly-funded universal representation programs. Nationally, about half of all immigrants facing deportation do not have attorneys.
The SAFE Cities Network gave Dane County $100,000 in “catalyst” funding to implement such a system. Dane County had already allocated funds to assist local immigrants.
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This funding paid for the salaries of Aissa Olivarez and Erin Barbato, attorneys who represent clients for free. According to Barbato, the director of the Immigrant Justice Clinic at the University of Wisconsin Law School, private attorneys in Dane County charge anywhere from $500 — if they are taking a case at a “low-bono” reduced rate — to $5,000 for bond representation alone. That does not include representation to fight the deportation itself.
“Everybody in our community deserves at least legal representation,” Barbato said. “We won’t be able to save everybody from deportation, but at least we’ll be able to allow them due process and access to justice.”
Dave Gorak, executive director of the Midwest Coalition to Reduce Immigration, said he supports the right of those in immigration proceedings to get legal representation — as long as taxpayers do not foot the bill.
“Even Americans, our own citizens, sometimes can’t afford the very high legal fees, and so that’s why we have public defenders,” Gorak said. “I don’t want to see American tax dollars used unnecessarily to defend a growing illegal immigrant population… All of us are having to pay for this refusal of our federal government to enforce its own laws.”
He added, “Too many organizations are going out of their way to in fact give credibility to these people who … have no respect for our laws or our sovereignty.”
The funding from Vera Institute will run out in October, but Madison and Dane County have approved another year of funding.
Madison City Council president Shiva Bidar said the council’s decision to allocate $100,000 for immigrant assistance in the 2019 budget was unanimous and endorsed by outgoing Mayor Paul Soglin, who has spoken out strongly against efforts to remove law-abiding immigrants.
Meanwhile, the University of Wisconsin Law School has begun paying for Barbato’s deportation defense work. And the Community Immigration Law Center (CILC), where Olivarez works, is looking to expand its services.
“We think when we get four to five (lawyers) doing this, we will be able to make an actual difference,” said CILC board president Grant Sovern.
Sovern contemplated what would happen if every Dane County resident had a lawyer when they went before an immigration judge.
“First, no more trauma of being deported. U.S. citizen kids aren’t separated from their parents. Employers don’t lose their workers.”
Natalie Yahr is a student in the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Journalism and Mass Communication. Wisconsin Watch’s collaborations with journalism students are funded in part by the Ira and Ineva Reilly Baldwin Wisconsin Idea Endowment at UW-Madison. The nonprofit (Wisconsin Watch) also collaborates with Wisconsin Public Radio, Wisconsin Public Television, and other news media. All works created, published, posted or disseminated by Wisconsin Watch do not necessarily reflect the views or opinions of UW-Madison or any of its affiliates.
Thank you for reading this article and building a more informed Wisconsin. Before you go, we'd like to ask you to support Wisconsin Watch's accountability reporting.
In this critical election year, trustworthy local journalism is more important than ever. And in a time period where newsrooms across the country are cutting back, we have aims to expand and meet Wisconsin's ever-growing informational needs.
Tax-deductible donations from readers like you make all this possible. We're in the middle of our Spring Fundraising Campaign, and its our goal to raise $7,500 to support elections coverage in Wisconsin.
Thank you for all you do.
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Republish our articles for free, online or in print, under a Creative Commons license.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
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by Natalie Yahr, Wisconsin Watch
This article first appeared on Wisconsin Watch and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.


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Hard road ahead for Gov. Tony Evers’ promise to slash Wisconsin prison population - Wisconsin Watch

June 30th, 2019
Our “Cruel and Unusual?” series examines Wisconsin’s prison system, including legislation affecting prisoners and their families.
Managing Editor Dee Hall discusses this story on Wisconsin Public Radio’s Central Time and on Wisconsin Public Television’s show Here and Now.
Wisconsin’s high supervision rate can cause — rather than prevent — longer incarceration, studies show
We are Wisconsin Watch. Here’s why you can trust us:
Wisconsin Watch is a nonpartisan, nonprofit investigative news outlet. We increase the quality and quantity of investigative reporting in Wisconsin, while training current and future investigative journalists. Our work fosters an informed citizenry and strengthens democracy.
We currently have reporters based in Madison, Milwaukee, and Oshkosh, and have other members of our robust editorial and business teams located across the state. We collaborate and share our content with mainstream and niche media across Wisconsin and the nation.
We are  a 501(c)(3) charitable organization operated by a professional staff  under the guidance of a nationally noted board of directors. Our legal name is Wisconsin Center for Investigative Journalism (WCIJ Inc.).
Wisconsin Watch is a founding member of the Institute for Nonprofit News, a group of nonprofit journalism organizations that conduct investigative reporting in the public interest.
Wisconsin Watch is a member of the Trust Project, a global network of news organizations that has developed transparency standards to help news readers assess the quality and credibility of journalism. Learn more about how we incorporate the Trust Indicators on our site.
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Wisconsin Watch is a member of the International Fact-Checking Network, a network that brings together a growing community of fact-checkers around the world and advocates of factual information in the global fight against misinformation.
To increase the quality, quantity and understanding of investigative journalism to foster an informed citizenry and strengthen democracy.
Wisconsin Watch values truth and pursues it through accurate, fair, independent, rigorous and nonpartisan reporting. We also value transparency, collaboration, innovation and a spirit of public service. These values guide Wisconsin Watch’s training of journalists and its investigations, which seek to protect the interests of people in vulnerable circumstances, expose wrongdoing and deficiencies in systems, and explore solutions to problems.
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Reading Time:  11 minutespost
Gov. Tony Evers is considering enacting an obscure 30-year-old early release program and halting reincarceration of offenders for rule violations to reduce Wisconsin’s growing prison population.
In an interview with Wisconsin Watch, Evers expressed optimism about his ability to accomplish a major campaign promise: to reduce by 50 percent the state’s prison population, which is on course to hit an all-time high of 25,000 inmates by 2021.
While 31 states saw decreases in their prison populations from 2017 to 2018, Wisconsin is not one of them. Currently, Wisconsin’s prison system is 33 percent above capacity, with 18 of the state’s 20 adult prisons listed as overcrowded. The prisons are also understaffed, with 7,650 full-time equivalent employees working the equivalent of nearly 900 additional FTEs.
In a July 2018 Democratic gubernatorial candidate debate, Evers was asked whether he supported a proposal by activists to cut the state’s prison population in half: “Absolutely — and that’s a goal worth accomplishing,” he said. Unlike his predecessor, Republican Gov. Scott Walker, who drew sustained criticism for failing to fulfill a campaign pledge to create 250,000 jobs in his first term, Evers has avoided setting a deadline for halving the inmate numbers.
Evers signaled in the interview that he would favor increasing paroles, saying he believes in “second chances” and “redemption” for offenders. In addition, Evers said he wants to take a “holistic” approach to releasing inmates by helping them line up family-supporting jobs, housing and transportation for a smoother reintegration into society. And he vowed to keep pushing for more money for alternative and treatment programs to divert offenders from prison.
The Democratic governor also defended his first budget, which calls for more prison beds, not fewer. He said he is focused on longer-term solutions.
“It’s really a multifaceted project, and we’re working very hard to make sure issues around housing, substance abuse, education and so on are part of that answer,” Evers said. “If we just look at what happens just before someone’s incarcerated or potentially incarcerated or just entering or re-entering the workforce and regular life, that’s just not enough. We have to take this on in a more holistic way.”
He said he remains concerned about the racial disparities in the state’s criminal justice system — black people in Wisconsin were incarcerated at almost 12 times the rate of whites in 2017. This disparity was the second-highest in the country as of 2016.
There are some things the Democratic governor’s administration can do on its own: increase paroles, reduce or eliminate so-called crimeless revocations that send offenders in the community back to prison for rule violations and invoke a little-used state law that allows early releases in periods of overcrowding.
But other measures, such as cutting maximum sentences, reducing already-imposed sentences and diverting more offenders to treatment, would require cooperation of judges and the Republican-run Legislature, which has taken few steps in the past eight years to curb incarceration.
In a separate interview, Kevin Carr, Evers’ pick for Department of Corrections secretary, avoided endorsing a specific number. Carr said his goal is to “lower the population as low as reasonably possible and still keep the public safe.” That number could be 50 percent, he said, or it could be more or less than that.
“The governor didn’t appoint me to this position and say, ‘Here’s the keys to all the jails. Let 50 percent of the people out tomorrow,’ ” Carr said. “It has to be done in a very thoughtful, deliberate way, and we hope to achieve reductions of our current populations in our facilities by having bipartisan support.”
Wisconsin spends around $6 million for treatment and diversion programs each year. In his budget, Evers proposed an additional $2 million for these programs over the next two years. In May, he requested the Joint Finance Committee amend his budget to redirect $6 million for treatment and diversion, for an increase of $4 million per year. But Republicans who run the Joint Finance Committee kept it at $2 million.
Under his capital budget, Evers is proposing adding a 144-bed barracks at Taycheedah Correctional Institution, the women’s prison in Fond du Lac. He is also recommending Jackson Correctional Institution in Black River Falls add two, 144-bed barracks.
Wisdom, a statewide faith-based organization, released a statement saying Evers’ budget “is extremely disappointing in its treatment of criminal justice issues,” and “funds a growth in the prison system” rather than a reduction.
Evers defended that move.
“Doing some temporary expansion is doing nothing more than making it safe for the people that are incarcerated,” Evers said. “But I will say, just kind of pushing back a little bit, we did put a fair amount of money in the budget, and we continue to fight for that, making sure that we have mental health treatment and other alternatives and diversion programs across the state of Wisconsin.”
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He added that people are being incarcerated for too long, and in certain situations, offenders could be treated in a “better, more humane way.”
As of June 21, Wisconsin had 23,755 men and women in state prisons, one-third over the design capacity of 17,830. The population is expected to increase by about 6 percent in the next two years, according to the Wisconsin Policy Forum, which researches and advocates for efficiencies in state and local government.
Carr said in his visits to the prisons, the impact of overcrowding is “obvious,” including double-celled inmates and facilities that do not have enough resources to provide activities and programming.
In some cases, inmates have been triple-celled, which is what Mark Rice experienced at Milwaukee Secure Detention Facility after being incarcerated for six months in 2007 for violating a rule of his supervision. With three people in a cell, there was little room to move. He said he was forced to sleep on the floor next to the toilet. The crowded conditions exacerbated his mental health problems, including paranoid schizophrenia, Rice said.
Former Waupun Correctional Institution psychologist Bradley Boivin, when asked about his experience working in overcrowded conditions, said around two-thirds of the inmates were double-celled during the two years he worked at Waupun before leaving in 2016.
As of June 21, the Waupun prison had a population of 1,254 — about 370 more than its design capacity. Boivin described the cells as “closet sized.” Cells are so narrow, he said, inmates can touch both walls, and the depth is barely longer than a bunk bed.
State officials declined requests from Wisconsin Watch to view and photograph prison conditions.
Putting individuals with trauma in a small space with people they might see as a threat can trigger emotions and symptoms associated with the trauma, Boivin said.
“One of the things psych services had the authority to do at Waupun, and in the DOC in general, was to put in a single-cell request for mental health reasons,” Boivin said. “Typically, security staff is required to accommodate that … but the reality is it wasn’t always honored. I had a captain tell me he wasn’t going to give an inmate the single cell, and the inmate was just trying to take advantage of me.
“If these individuals were in single cells, I would say half the psych service requests wouldn’t have even existed.”
One option the DOC and Evers are considering is the Special Action Release Program, a 1989 law which would authorize Carr to release parole-eligible inmates, which would primarily be those convicted before truth-in-sentencing. Evers said any releases would not happen immediately. Carr added that public safety would be the top priority.
Among the dozen requirements for special action release are that individuals are not serving a life sentence, are within 18 months of mandatory release and do not have a conviction for an assaultive crime or have a known history of assaultive behavior in or outside of prison.
While it is unclear exactly how many parole-eligible inmates would meet the criteria for the program, as of Dec. 31, there were 1,900 inmates serving time only on parole-eligible offenses, DOC spokeswoman Clare Hendricks said. Another 1,000 or so inmates could be paroled only after completing sentences for non-parole eligible offenses, she said.
Only about 5 percent of so-called old-law inmates have been granted parole in recent years, said David Liners, executive director of Wisdom. He said releasing half to two-thirds of the people who are parole-eligible could potentially reduce the prison population by 1,500 to 2,000 inmates.
Prior to Wisconsin’s truth-in-sentencing law in 1999, offenders were eligible for release after serving 25 percent of their time and received a mandatory release after serving two-thirds of their time, after which they were paroled.
“That whole (parole) system is just broken down, and it’s a nightmare,” Liners said. “Common reasons people are given for having their parole denied, are ‘insufficient time served’ or somehow releasing them would be an ‘unacceptable risk to society’ — there’s no definition for either of those things.”
In late April, the American Civil Liberties Union of Wisconsin filed a class-action lawsuit alleging the reasons for refusing parole for eligible inmates who committed crimes as juveniles are unconstitutional. The current parole system, according to the ACLU of Wisconsin, “gives parole commissioners unchecked discretion to deny release.”
Paroles are handled by the Wisconsin Parole Commission, which is separate from the DOC. The governor appoints the commission’s chairperson for a two-year term with the consent of the state Senate.
Under Walker, paroles decreased significantly. In 2017, Walker proposed eliminating the Parole Commission and turning the responsibilities over to a gubernatorial appointee.
In May, Evers appointed Racine alderman John Tate II to serve as chairman of the commission. When asked if he would favor Tate granting more paroles, Evers said he does not want to direct Tate one way or the other and trusts his judgment. Tate has told Wisconsin Public Radio that he would like to increase the number of paroles.
Said Evers: “I’m sure he (Tate) will be not only fair, but he’ll also believe, as I do, that we have to believe in redemption, and we have to believe in making sure people get a second chance.”
University of Wisconsin-Madison professor emeritus of law Walter Dickey believes truth-in-sentencing legislation has been a major driver of the rising prison population. Dickey was the DOC secretary from 1983 to 1987.
Under the law — implemented Dec. 31, 1999 and considered one of the most punitive in the country — traditional parole was virtually eliminated for newly convicted offenders. They now receive a bifurcated sentence, which includes the time they will spend in prison and time on extended supervision following their release.
Without changes to Wisconsin’s current sentencing system, Dickey believes cutting the prison population in half would be extraordinarily difficult, if not impossible. Sentences, for the most part, cannot be shortened.
Judges can adjust sentences, but this is not a realistic method for reducing the prison population because it would take willing judges and a return to court for each case, Dickey said. In a May 2017 report, the Badger Institute found that sentence adjustment petitions are rarely approved. Out of the 2,288 petitions filed in 2016, 295 were granted, according to the institute, which advocates for free markets and limited government.
Assembly Corrections Committee chairman Rep. Michael Schraa, R-Oshkosh, does not see truth-in-sentencing going away any time soon, but he does believe changes can be made when dealing with certain offenses, such as first-time drug offenses or nonviolent crimes.
“We are not going to revamp and get rid of truth-in-sentencing in a matter of a session or two,” Schraa said. “The appetite just isn’t there, especially in the Senate. … That’s the tough thing we’re up against, but I think we can take a scalpel and come up with very effective, proven areas that we could work on.”
An April Marquette Law School poll found 55 percent of voters support early release if offenders have served two-thirds of their sentence and demonstrate they are not a threat to society. The poll also found that 71 percent favor getting rid of mandatory minimums and instead letting the judge decide sentences on a case-by-case basis.
Rep. Evan Goyke, D-Milwaukee, a member of the Assembly Corrections Committee, sees truth-in-sentencing potentially being addressed in the long term. But his focus is on more immediate fixes — revocation, release and supervision — to ease overcrowding.
“We have over 500 people sleeping in county jails because our prisons are so overcrowded that the DOC has to rent rooms in county jails,” Goyke said. “If we take a long-term view of where the system needs to go, we do need to address how we sentence the penalties associated with certain crimes and the policy of truth-in-sentencing, but where I’m really focused on the short term is handling that immediate crisis of overcrowding.”
An area that is more likely to receive bipartisan support from the state Legislature is expanding treatment alternatives and diversion programs, such as drug courts. The April Marquette Law School poll found 78 percent of respondents favor such programs.
Instead of “warehousing someone away,” treatment and diversion programs treat the problem and reduce recidivism, Schraa said.
Said Dickey: “Prison is for the people we’re afraid of — not the people we’re mad at. We ought to be using prison as a means to achieve public safety, and if we have people who don’t ‘need’ prison because they’re not a public safety threat, then we shouldn’t be using prison for them. We should be using some other kind of correctional resource.”
Liners said such programs are “fiscally really responsible, and the recidivism rate is much lower for people who get into TAD programs than it is for the equivalent people who go to jail. Whichever thing we’re trying to do — save money or reduce crime — they both have the same answer.”
On the national level, there are conversations about how states can reduce their prison populations. Sens. Cory Booker, D-New Jersey, and Richard Blumenthal, D-Connecticut, introduced the Reverse Mass Incarceration Act in May, which would provide a financial incentive to states that reduce their prison population by 7 percent over three years without seeing an increase in crime rate of more than 3 percent.
Both Schraa and Goyke believe Wisconsin could cut the state prison population by thousands of inmates. Liners believes the prison population could be reduced by at least 8,000 in two years by ending crimeless revocations, boosting paroles and expanding diversion programs. That would bring the prison population to around 15,700 — the same level it was in 1997.
ACLU’s Campaign for Smart Justice said Evers could reach his goal in six years by ending crimeless revocations, expanding mental health and substance abuse treatment and broadening a judge’s discretion to impose community supervision instead of prison. Its blueprint would lead to 12,170 fewer people in prison by 2025 — saving the state $886 million.
The report also recommended reducing incarceration time by speeding up parole decisions, expanding earned release and reducing sentencing ranges by 40 to 60 percent.
The report noted, however, that racial disparities likely will persist unless explicit racial justice strategies are implemented.
Evers said bipartisan efforts to cut prison populations are underway across the country, and Wisconsin should follow their lead.
“When we have people whose lives are being turned around in a negative way because they’re incarcerated for either too long or for crimes that don’t need incarceration, that’s a moral issue for me,” Evers said. “That’s why I think it’s important, and that’s why I think we’re going to be successful in the end.”
Wisconsin Watch’s collaborations with journalism students are funded in part by the Ira and Ineva Reilly Baldwin Wisconsin Idea Endowment at UW-Madison. The nonprofit Wisconsin Center for Investigative Journalism (www.WisconsinWatch.org)  collaborates with Wisconsin Public Radio, Wisconsin Public Television, other news media and the UW-Madison School of Journalism and Mass Communication. All works created, published, posted or disseminated by Wisconsin Watch do not necessarily reflect the views or opinions of UW-Madison or any of its affiliates.
Thank you for reading this article and building a more informed Wisconsin. Before you go, we'd like to ask you to support Wisconsin Watch's accountability reporting.
In this critical election year, trustworthy local journalism is more important than ever. And in a time period where newsrooms across the country are cutting back, we have aims to expand and meet Wisconsin's ever-growing informational needs.
Tax-deductible donations from readers like you make all this possible. We're in the middle of our Spring Fundraising Campaign, and its our goal to raise $7,500 to support elections coverage in Wisconsin.
Thank you for all you do.
—The Wisconsin Watch team
Republish our articles for free, online or in print, under a Creative Commons license.
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For questions regarding republishing rules please contact Jeff Bauer, digital editor and producer, at jbauer@wisconsinwatch.org
by Izabela Zaluska, Wisconsin Watch
This <a target="_blank" href="https://wisconsinwatch.org/2019/06/hard-road-ahead-for-gov-tony-evers-promise-to-slash-wisconsin-prison-population/">article</a> first appeared on <a target="_blank" href="https://wisconsinwatch.org">Wisconsin Watch</a> and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.<img src="https://i0.wp.com/wisconsinwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/cropped-WCIJ_IconOnly_FullColor_RGB-1.png?fit=150%2C150&quality=100&ssl=1" style="width:1em;height:1em;margin-left:10px;"><img id="republication-tracker-tool-source" src="https://wisconsinwatch.org/?republication-pixel=true&post=752214&ga4=G-D2S69Y9TDB" style="width:1px;height:1px;">

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Pay-to-stay, other fees, can put jail inmates hundreds or thousands in debt - Wisconsin Watch

September 15th, 2019
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Wisconsin Watch is a nonpartisan, nonprofit investigative news outlet. We increase the quality and quantity of investigative reporting in Wisconsin, while training current and future investigative journalists. Our work fosters an informed citizenry and strengthens democracy.
We currently have reporters based in Madison, Milwaukee, and Oshkosh, and have other members of our robust editorial and business teams located across the state. We collaborate and share our content with mainstream and niche media across Wisconsin and the nation.
We are  a 501(c)(3) charitable organization operated by a professional staff  under the guidance of a nationally noted board of directors. Our legal name is Wisconsin Center for Investigative Journalism (WCIJ Inc.).
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Wisconsin Watch is a member of The Global Investigative Journalism Network, an international network of nonprofit organizations founded to support, promote and produce investigative journalism.
Wisconsin Watch is a member of the International Fact-Checking Network, a network that brings together a growing community of fact-checkers around the world and advocates of factual information in the global fight against misinformation.
To increase the quality, quantity and understanding of investigative journalism to foster an informed citizenry and strengthen democracy.
Wisconsin Watch values truth and pursues it through accurate, fair, independent, rigorous and nonpartisan reporting. We also value transparency, collaboration, innovation and a spirit of public service. These values guide Wisconsin Watch’s training of journalists and its investigations, which seek to protect the interests of people in vulnerable circumstances, expose wrongdoing and deficiencies in systems, and explore solutions to problems.
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Reading Time:  12 minutespost
In 2011, Sean Pugh was arrested for allegedly violating terms of his release from prison. A year and a half into his roughly two-year stay in the Brown County Jail, he realized he owed the county around $17,000 — the result of a $20 daily “pay-to-stay” fee plus fees from previous jail stints.
Brown County is one of at least 23 Wisconsin counties that assess “pay-to-stay” fees, which charge inmates for room and board for the time they are incarcerated, according to a Wisconsin Watch survey of county jails.
Watch: Managing editor Dee J. Hall talks about this story on Wisconsin Public Television’s show “Noon Wednesday.”
“While most inmates have exploited society in some way, financial exploitation of the incarcerated creates a vicious cycle that contributes to the pitfalls of getting back on one’s feet after release,” Pugh said in an email. “The entire incarceration experience leaves one in a worse financial state then when they went they went to jail/prison.”
Wisconsin is among at least 40 states where some inmates are required to pay daily room and board fees.
But this practice varies across states, according to the Brennan Center for Justice, a New York-based public policy and law institute that focuses on democracy and justice. Some states charge jail inmates, prison inmates or both. Some states charge only inmates who are working, while other states charge all inmates.
Pugh, who is now incarcerated at the state’s Stanley Correctional Institution in Chippewa County, said in an email that Brown County ultimately agreed to forgive the entire debt. He had argued that it was the Department of Corrections’ decision to keep him jailed so long while it investigated the alleged violation of his release terms.
Pugh filed a small claims action seeking repayment of the money he had already paid, alleging the county was trying to “double dip” by billing both him and the state for his stay. Pugh said he was offered a settlement of $1,000, which he accepted.
“Had I not needed the money, I could have held out on principle to expose this, but I was not in a position to pass on the settlement,” Pugh said.
Brown County’s imposition of pay-to-stay fees was upheld in a 2013 federal decision. Former inmate Lamon Barnes’ federal lawsuit alleged the county’s pay-to-stay fee when applied to pretrial detainees is unconstitutional.
Barnes was booked into the Brown County Jail in January 2011, was found guilty in February 2012 and sentenced a month after that — resulting in a $9,160 pay-to-stay bill.
Judge Lynn Adelman for the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Wisconsin found that fee did not violate the prohibition against subjecting a detainee to punishment before conviction.
“There is no evidence that Brown County was motivated by a desire to punish pretrial detainees when it collected lock-up fees from them,” Adelman wrote. “The policy appeared to be rationally related to the county’s legitimate interest in ‘effective management of the detention facility.’ ”
Under Wisconsin law, pay-to-stay can apply to the entire period of time the person is in jail, including pretrial detention. It is then up to the counties whether they want to charge only sentenced inmates or also charge those who are not sentenced.
The jail systems in Wisconsin’s two largest counties — Dane and Milwaukee — do not levy pay-to-stay fees. But in other Wisconsin counties, jails are taking in hundreds of thousands of dollars a year, the Wisconsin Watch survey found.
Such fees have escalated in recent decades. The U.S. Supreme Court recently ruled in a 9-0 decision that financial penalties levied by states may be so high as to violate the federal Eighth Amendment constitutional protection against excessive fines.
Noting that excessive fines for “vagrancy” were used after the Civil War to re-enslave freed men, Justice Clarence Thomas wrote in his concurrence: “The right against excessive fines traces its lineage back in English law nearly a millennium, and … has been consistently recognized as a core right worthy of constitutional protection.”
In Wisconsin, each county decides whether or not to charge non-working jail inmates a daily room and board fee. Many Wisconsin counties charge inmates with Huber privileges, which allow the inmate to leave jail for work, school or other reasons. Inmates on work release in Wisconsin state prisons are also charged room and board.
Jail fees often impact low-income individuals the hardest — the average income for someone arrested is a little more than $19,000, according to the Prison Policy Initiative, a think tank that works against what it describes as over-criminalization.
Many people could have a hard time paying such fees. Wisconsin counties that charge a pay-to-stay fee average $13 a day, Wisconsin Watch found, or about $390 a month. According to the Federal Reserve, about 40 percent of people in the United States could not afford a surprise $400 payment.
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“If I could create a perfect system to maintain inequality, create inequality and sustain it over time, this is the system,” University of Washington sociology professor Alexes Harris said. “The process perfectly labels, stigmatizes, financially burdens and imposes further legal consequences to poor people. … Somebody who is poor has that debt for life, and it tracks them for life. It’s a long-term duration of punishment for poor people.”
In addition to pay-to-stay, there are other fees inmates must pay, depending on the county they are in. Some may have to pay for work release, medical visits, electronic monitoring, phone calls and DNA collection.
When Mishelle O’Shasky was serving a 9-month jail sentence in 2004 for drunken driving, she was able to work and see her children while on Huber. After two months, she served the rest of her sentence from home on electronic monitoring.
O’Shasky, who was a waitress at the time trying to support herself and four children, was paying around $500 a month for electronic monitoring — almost as much as her apartment rent.
It was difficult to pay for both electronic monitoring and her regular bills, said O’Shasky, who was in and out of jail and prison for more than two decades because of substance use and mental health challenges.
“Even when you think you’re done paying for things, you’re not,” said O’Shasky, who lives in Rudolph, Wisconsin. “It’s traumatizing. You have people constantly running for their lives. I hate to be extreme, but that’s just the reality.”
This story is part of our “Cruel and Unusual?” series which examines Wisconsin’s prison system,  including legislation affecting prisoners and their families.
Financial penalties are embedded within the criminal justice system, said Harris, author of the 2016 book “A Pound of Flesh: Monetary Sanctions as a Punishment for the Poor.”
Even though monetary punishment has long existed, there has been a dramatic increase since the 1990s and early 2000s, Harris said. Wisconsin’s pay-to-stay law was enacted in 1996.
While some county jails in Wisconsin clearly spell out their jail fees, most do not, Wisconsin Watch found.
Prior to working as a criminal defense attorney, David Stegall was as an assistant district attorney in Milwaukee County. As a prosecutor, jail fees were not something he saw. When he got to private practice, however, the fees became more visible.
“There’s so much money that’s connected to a case, either from hiring an attorney or posting bail or paying for part of your defense,” Stegall said. “There’s a lot that goes into it that’s separate and apart from anything to do with punishment.”
When Stegall has spoken with his clients, he said they are usually “shocked” by the fees charged. Stegall said even with a low-level crime like disorderly conduct, the total can easily be $500 to $600 after fees such as court costs and a DNA sample are added in. The charge for submitting a DNA sample is $200 to $250 in Wisconsin.
By the numbers: Jail incarceration fees in Wisconsin
Wisconsin Watch got pay-to-stay and booking information for 60 of 72 Wisconsin counties. Of those, 36 county jails charge a booking fee, and 17 counties charge for both booking and pay-to-stay. Eighteen charge neither a booking fee or a pay-to-stay fee.
The highest booking fee reported was $50 in La Crosse County and the lowest reported was $5 in Crawford County. On average, a booking fee was $27. The highest reported pay-to-stay rate was $26 per day in Winnebago County, and the lowest was $5 per day in Iron, Dunn and Wood counties.
County jails also can charge for medical visits by a doctor or a nurse. On average, inmates are charged $6 for a nurse’s visit and around $12 for a doctor’s visit. Grant County charges $47.50 for a doctor’s visit and Iowa County charges $50, which were the highest amounts reported to Wisconsin Watch.
The cost of electronic monitoring for inmates on some form of release also varies by county, Stegall said, but it is between $15 and $35 per day — or up to $1,050 a month.
The annual revenue from these fees also varies. Some counties receive less than $20,000 and one, Winnebago County, receives as much as $950,000. Typically, this revenue either goes back to the jail or to the county’s general fund.
Marathon County jail administrator Sandra La Du said the jail is “far from making money” on these fees. La Du reported that the Marathon County jail receives $700,000 in fees annually. The revenue goes back into the jail budget to run a “constitutionally sound” jail and pay for necessities like lights, water and heat, she said.
One of the difficulties of pay-to-stay is how much it varies across states, which makes it “complicated to unravel,” said Joanna Weiss, co-director of the Fines and Fees Justice Center. The New York-based center works to eliminate fees in the justice system.
“The justice system is meant to serve everyone — it does serve everyone — and it needs to be funded equitably, not on the backs of people going through it,” Weiss said.
Michigan counties can charge inmates for their stay as long as it is no more than $60 per day. Ohio counties charge an average of $35 per day, with the highest rate being close to $67, the American Civil Liberties Union of Ohio found.
In mid-June, an Indiana county passed an ordinance that was proposed by the sheriff that allows Clinton County to charge inmates up to $30 per day.
In Wisconsin, counties cannot charge more than their actual per-day cost of keeping an inmate in jail.
La Du does not think there should be the same pay-to-stay fee across the state because different counties have different costs. Marathon County has a pay-to-stay fee of $30 for the first day and $18 for each day after. The county only charges sentenced inmates.
The average expected stay in jail was 25 days in 2016, according to the U.S. Bureau of Justice Statistics. That means someone incarcerated in Winnebago County — where the daily fee is $26 — could leave with an average $650 pay-to-stay bill, in addition to other fees.
Wisconsin Watch found an average pay-to-stay fee is $13 per day, so inmates incarcerated in a pay-to-stay county for a typical stay could find themselves leaving with a $325 bill.
In Marathon County, inmates who are serving sentences in the jail spend an average of 85 days there, totaling a little more than $1,500 in pay-to-stay fees.
Bayfield County, which does not have a booking or pay-to-stay fee, charges $110.78 per week for Huber privileges. The Wisconsin Watch survey found inmates on Huber are charged anywhere from $15 to $26 per day, depending on the county where they are incarcerated.
Bayfield County’s jail administrator Kathleen Haiden said in an email that people with a job should help pay, but those without a job should not.
“We wouldn’t want to put that on the family when they are probably already financially challenged,” Haiden said.
In addition to pay-to-stay, inmates on work release in Wisconsin prisons also are responsible for paying income taxes, transportation, child support, restitution and other responsibilities under state law.
The exact amount withheld from a prison inmate’s work release check depends on their obligations, Department of Corrections spokeswoman Clare Hendricks said in an email. Each category has a maximum amount that can be withheld, Hendricks said.
From each check, 37% goes to room, 8% goes to board and 21% goes to transportation. The maximum amounts taken per month for room, board and transportation are $365, $110 and $265, respectively. For these three categories, an inmate could be responsible for paying $740 per month for inmates who work outside the institution.
O’Shasky is the founder and executive director of Peer Association Inc., a La Crosse, Wisconsin, nonprofit that provides reentry services for people like herself.
The first time O’Shasky went to prison was in 2000 for failing to pay child support. She owed a couple of thousand dollars. After she got out of prison, O’Shasky still owed the money plus interest.
“I ended up paying like $40,000 in child support when the court ordered $10 a week back in 1992,” said O’Shasky, who was in prison three different times. “You’re just stuck forever … I just finished paying that, and my child is 27 years old.”
“I have four kids and this is only on one of the children, and they separated me from my kids. But I didn’t have the money to fight it. I would’ve paid the $10 a week if I had the money, right? You can’t win.”
As jail populations swell, county jails are struggling for money, Stegall said. The solution, he said, is often to charge the offender.
A common argument made by those who support pay-to-stay is these individuals are committing crimes and creating a need for jails, so they should be the ones paying the fees, said John Cooper, the executive director of Safe & Just Michigan. The Lansing group focuses on reducing Michigan’s use of incarceration.
Another argument in favor of pay-to-stay is that it can act as a deterrent and encourage people to behave differently, just as cash bail is seen as an incentive to come back to court, Cooper said.
“There is a value in creating responsibility,” agreed La Du, adding that she sees the argument for both sides when it comes to pay-to-stay and other jail fees.
Cooper said these arguments might have superficial appeal, but they are counterproductive in practice. Overwhelmingly, the people who get involved with the justice system are there because of lack of opportunity and poverty, Cooper said.
“Because pay-to-stay exacerbates the underlying causes of involvement in the justice system, there is a good argument that it undermines public safety,” Cooper said.
In fact, a 2018 report by the nonpartisan, nonprofit group Alabama Appleseed found 38% of respondents had committed another crime in order to pay off the fines and fees they already had. In order to pay their court debt, 83% of respondents said they gave up paying for necessities like rent, food and medical bills, according to the social-justice group.
“If you get sent to jail … probably you are going to lose your job. When you’re coming out of jail, you’re going to need to get a car,” Cooper said. “If you can’t get a car loan because your credit is bad because you’ve got all this criminal justice debt, it’ll be hard to get a job. How are you going to pay it all back? What are you going to do to provide for yourself and your family?”
Harris said the Timbs v. Indiana case — where it was ruled the excessive fines clause of the Bill of Rights applies to the states and not just to the federal government — was a major step forward. Now the issue, Harris said, is how excessive is defined.
“We don’t have our state supreme courts or the U.S. Supreme Court really setting criteria or standards for how sentencing judges are supposed to establish what is excessive, what is a fair fine or fee, what is ability to pay,” Harris said. “We don’t have these clear standards, which is so problematic on the ground because you get a huge variation.”
California state Sen. Holly Mitchell introduced legislation in January to eliminate criminal administrative fees in California. San Francisco is thought to be the first county in the United States to get rid of fees associated with incarceration, such as booking, probation and electronic monitoring fees.
In March, the Missouri Supreme Court ruled courts do not have the authority to jail people when they cannot pay incarceration fees. In early June, Nevada passed a law eliminating juvenile fines and fees.
New Hampshire’s Republican Gov. Chris Sununu signed a measure in July repealing the state’s pay-to-stay law.
“While it feels overwhelming, there is a great deal of momentum, and people need to realize there are alternatives,” Harris said. “Yes, we still want to hold people accountable for their offending, but we need to make sure we do it in a way where they can show accountability, make amends and then move forward to have productive lives.”
Izabela Zaluska’s work on this story was supported by a 2019 John Jay/Arnold criminal justice reporting fellowship. All reporting, editing and presentation decisions were made by the nonprofit Wisconsin Watch (www.WisconsinWatch.org), which collaborates with Wisconsin Public Radio, Wisconsin Public Television, other news media and the UW-Madison School of Journalism and Mass Communication. All works created, published, posted or disseminated by Wisconsin Watch do not necessarily reflect the views or opinions of UW-Madison or any of its affiliates.
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by Izabela Zaluska, Wisconsin Watch
This <a target="_blank" href="https://wisconsinwatch.org/2019/09/pay-to-stay/">article</a> first appeared on <a target="_blank" href="https://wisconsinwatch.org">Wisconsin Watch</a> and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.<img src="https://i0.wp.com/wisconsinwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/cropped-WCIJ_IconOnly_FullColor_RGB-1.png?fit=150%2C150&quality=100&ssl=1" style="width:1em;height:1em;margin-left:10px;"><img id="republication-tracker-tool-source" src="https://wisconsinwatch.org/?republication-pixel=true&post=808530&ga4=G-D2S69Y9TDB" style="width:1px;height:1px;">

created: September 15th, 2019


text:
From Detention To Court, Wisconsin Immigration Lawyers Labor To Represent Their Clients | WisContext
Scott GordonWisContext

author: Scott GordonWisContext


text:
What A National Decline In Refugee Resettlement Looks Like For Wisconsin | WisContext
Scott GordonWisContext


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What Is Vaccine Refusal And What's Its Effect On Public Health? | WisContext
Malia JonesUW Applied Population Lab

author: Malia JonesUW Applied Population Lab


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Why The Educational Dreams Of Refugees Get Put On The Back Burner | WisContext
Matthew WolfgramUW-Madison

author: Matthew WolfgramUW-Madison


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Why It's Difficult To Gauge The Effects Of Wisconsin's FoodShare Work Rules | WisContext
Will CushmanWisContext

author: Will CushmanWisContext


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$15 Minimum Wage Backers Hold Labor Day Rally At Milwaukee Hospital - WPR
Chuck Quirmbach
September 4, 2017
Some hospital workers have joined the national push to have a $15 per hour minimum wage and make it easier for all workers join a union.
The Fight for 15 movement has usually centered on fast food employees and home health care workers. But on Labor Day, at least 200 people marched through downtown Milwaukee promoting the movement for a variety of low-wage workers.
Outside a health care center, hospital housekeeper Margie Brelove said she doesn’t make $15 an hour, but would like to.
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“I’m barely making ends meet. I can’t pay bills, or I’m short paying bills. Something’s lacking because there’s not enough income coming in,” Brelove said.
Family physician Dr. Cynthia Haq also spoke at the rally. Haq said raising pay for hospital housekeepers and other low-wage workers would benefit the health care system.
“If all workers are earning a basic living wage, they’re able to purchase health care coverage. Then, they don’t have to go to the emergency department when they have trivial problems that could be cared for in a primary health care setting at a fraction of the cost,” Haq said, adding that unnecessary use of emergency care drives up costs for everyone.
Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker and some other politicians say they don’t want to raise the state minimum wage because it’s better to help create jobs that pay well above the minimum. But Haq argues many people across Wisconsin can’t get those better-paying  jobs and, in the meantime, need health care and other basics.
Wisconsin Public Radio, © Copyright 2024, Board of Regents of the University of Wisconsin System and Wisconsin Educational Communications Board.

created: September 4, 2017

author: Chuck Quirmbach


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5G Cellular Network Could Be In Milwaukee For Democratic National Convention - WPR
Corri Hess
November 28, 2019
For the last year, Cleveland-based fiber technology company Everstream has been expanding into the greater Milwaukee and plans to begin providing service next month, setting the stage for the installation and expansion of 5G cellular technology.
Everstream is investing $27 million in fiber expansion in Milwaukee’s western suburbs into downtown Milwaukee. These fibers can be used by businesses throughout the Milwaukee-area.
The company also plans to spend up to $200 million throughout Wisconsin, adding high-capacity fiber in Madison and Green Bay, said Brett Lindsey, Everstream president and CEO.
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Installation of fiber has already begun in Madison and is expected to be completed in early 2020. Work in Green Bay’s fiber installation is expected to begin in 2020 with completion expected in early 2021, Lindsey said.
Everstream is a network provider for businesses, with about 50 percent of its revenue coming from selling network services to places like the Fiserv Forum. The other half comes from selling to wholesale carriers, like Sprint and AT&T.
Fifth generation, or 5G wireless, is talked about a lot, but is a mystery to most people. Only a handful of cities have it including Sacramento, Houston, Los Angeles and Indianapolis, according to NPR.
The promise of 5G lies in its speed. It will decrease buffering on applications like Netflix and documents and other files will download faster, Lindsey said.
Experts say 5G will also create innovation in manufacturing and medicine.
5G is also built differently than current network technology. Currently, cell towers are huge and cover several miles. 5G cell towers are small and cover only a couple thousand feet. They can easily be installed on telephone poles and light poles, according to NPR.
In July, Gov. Tony Evers signed Senate Bill 239, now 2019 Wisconsin Act 14, making it easier to facilitate the installation and expansion of 5G cellular technology across the state.
The work Everstream is doing in Milwaukee coincides with the Democratic National Convention, which will be held in the city July 13-16.
“The wireless operators all want that in advance for the DNC, because of the influx of people that will be coming into the community to make sure the bandwidth is sufficient to support the hundreds of thousands of people that will be coming into Milwaukee,” Lindsey said.
Omar Shaikh, who chairs Visit Milwaukee, said he doesn’t know if 5G will be ready for the Democratic National Convention, but he welcomes the work Everstream is doing.
“If companies are willing to come in for a major event, we need to welcome that,” Shaikh said. “It is going to be so much easier to sell the city if we are on the forefront of technology and we have the infrastructure moreso than any other city.”
Wisconsin Public Radio, © Copyright 2024, Board of Regents of the University of Wisconsin System and Wisconsin Educational Communications Board.

created: November 28, 2019

author: Corri Hess


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Access To Fresh Food Remains A Barrier For Many In Milwaukee - WPR
Corri Hess
April 10, 2019
The city of Milwaukee continues to look for ways to bring healthy foods to all of its residents.
Although tackling the problem of food deserts and food swamps, the proliferation of unhealthy options in low-income neighborhoods, is proving to be a difficult task for the city to wrap its arms around.
Aldermen and alderwomen asked the Milwaukee Department of Community Development to develop a fresh food access strategy three years ago. On Tuesday, a city panel was presented with a report showing 21 percent of Milwaukee’s population, or 124,000 people, live further than 1 mile from a grocery store.
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The U.S. Department of Agriculture defines a food desert as a low-income area where access to a full-service grocery store is 1 mile away. But Vanessa Koster, a city planning manager, pointed out half a mile is a more reasonable distance to measure, since many residents don’t have access to vehicles.
Thirty-seven percent of Milwaukee residents don’t live within a half mile of a full-service grocery store, according to the report. Milwaukee’s poverty rate is about 25 percent. More than 37 percent of the city’s population is obese, according to the report.
City officials are looking at models that have worked nationwide, including in Baltimore and Philadelphia.
In Baltimore, the Baltimarket is a virtual supermarket program that has increased access to healthy food in neighborhoods with limited access to grocery stores. Pennsylvania subsidized a $30 million program in Philadelphia to increase access to healthy food options. That program included providing money to corner stores to pay for chillers needed for fresh fruit and vegetables.
One thing that has been working in Milwaukee is the Fresh Picks Mobile Market, an initiative between anti-hunger nonprofit Hunger Task Force and the Pick ‘n Save grocery store chain. The truck makes about 34 stops per month in the city’s food deserts.
Launched in October 2015, the mobile market sells produce, dairy and meat products all reduced by 25 percent.
Aldermen and alderwomen suggested trying to expand that program with city financing.
“We would be better off subsidizing a bunch of trucks than a bunch of big box stores,” said Ald. Robert Bauman. “I could see doing a blue-collar version of the Peapod service to bring food to the people.”
The city also has created a number of community garden initiatives and changed its ordinances to allow people to raise chickens.
The report identified several goals the city should be working toward, including attracting grocery stores to underserved neighborhoods, developing other retail outlets as sources of fresh food, increasing the stock of fresh food in corner stores, increasing the amount of locally grown food that is available to consumers, and improving transportation to grocery stores and farmers markets.
What was not clear was who in city government was going to be responsible for implementing these strategies.
“I get the gardens and I get the grocery stores, but we’re in Wisconsin, so the farmers markets and the gardens are great, but they’re not going to keep people fed year-round,” said Ald. Milele Coggs.
The city did not take any action on the report Tuesday.
Wisconsin Public Radio, © Copyright 2024, Board of Regents of the University of Wisconsin System and Wisconsin Educational Communications Board.


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Advocates: Landlord-Tenant Bill Would Harm Domestic Violence Victims - WPR
Laurel White
January 1, 2018
A proposal in the state Legislature would limit the amount of time courts can prevent domestic violence victims from being evicted from their homes.
The plan is part of a massive landlord-tenant bill in the state Legislature.
Under current law, courts can issue a stay to prevent someone from being evicted while they’re waiting for an emergency assistance program to take effect. Under the bill, that court stay would be limited to five days.
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Victims’ rights advocates argue five days isn’t enough time, because victims of domestic violence are often unable to get money to pay rent after they’ve severed ties with an abuser.
“We’re putting a lot of victims directly in harm’s way because of, through no fault of their own, the lack of financial control they’ve experienced,” said Chase Tarrier, public policy coordinator for End Domestic Abuse Wisconsin, at a public hearing on the bill in December. “They could face eviction because of their inability to access these funds.”
Rep. Ed Brooks, R-Reedsburg, said the bill, which includes a number of other provisions, is aimed at providing safety and security for landlords and tenants.
“The intent of the bill is to provide affordable, safe, quality housing for tenants, and do it in the most cost effective manner for landlords,” Brooks said.
The bill has yet to be voted on in committee.
Wisconsin Public Radio, © Copyright 2024, Board of Regents of the University of Wisconsin System and Wisconsin Educational Communications Board.

created: January 1, 2018

author: Laurel White


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Advocates Target Milwaukee County Sheriff For Remarks On Domestic Violence - WPR
Chuck Quirmbach
July 30, 2018
Groups opposing domestic violence are criticizing Milwaukee County Acting Sheriff Richard Schmidt.
The criticism surfaced Monday about comments Schmidt made last year during a podcast interview. Schmidt told domestic violence victims who are Christians to submit themselves to the Holy Spirit, adding that God would restore their relationships.
Schmidt also failed to criticize the podcast host, a minister who said the victim should change, not the abuser.
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Several groups supporting Earnell Lucas, who hopes to defeat Schmidt in the August Democratic primary for Milwaukee County sheriff, are blasting Schmidt’s comments.
Sarah Pearson of Women’s March Wisconsin said the remarks are alarming.
“They suggest he is not the kind of sheriff that women in Milwaukee County need to take a solutions-based, violence-ending approach to domestic abuse,” Pearson said at a Monday news conference in Milwaukee.
Schmidt told WPR that the critics are distorting his words, and that abusers need to be punished.
“If someone does do a domestic violence act, they need to be arrested. That’s the law. They need to go to jail, no ifs, ands or buts about it,” Schmidt said.
Wisconsin Public Radio, © Copyright 2024, Board of Regents of the University of Wisconsin System and Wisconsin Educational Communications Board.


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Assembly Approves Work Requirements For Some Housing Voucher Recipients - WPR
Laurel White
May 10, 2017
The state Assembly has approved a bill that would require some able-bodied adults to work in order to receive housing vouchers in Wisconsin.
The bill that passed the state Assembly on Wednesday would authorize the Wisconsin Economic Development Authority to seek a federal waiver that would allow the agency to put the work requirements in place.
The bill doesn’t specify what the employment, training, and/or other “self-sufficiency requirements” would be.
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Rep. Terry Katsma, R-Oostburg, said Wednesday the requirements would help create more trained workers.
“There are many, many companies that are just looking for employment, and this would be another step to encourage folks to receive those skills so that they can provide jobs,” he said.
The bill would also allow the state housing authority to provide certain employment, training and self-sufficiency services to voucher recipients.
Wisconsin Republicans have passed work requirements for a variety of other programs in recent years, including food stamps.
During debate Wednesday, Democrats argued against the requirements, saying they would push people out of their homes.
“The reality is, when you punish people by taking away the voucher that makes their housing affordable, you make them homeless,” said Rep. Lisa Subeck, D-Madison.
The bill passed the Assembly 61-35. It has yet to be scheduled for a vote in the Senate.
Assembly Republicans also approved a measure Wednesday that would penalize low-income parents whose children are chronically absent from school.
Under the proposal, students who miss five unexcused days of school in a semester may be subject to financial penalties up to $150 per month.
“It is important for your kids to not only to be enrolled in school, but actually show up,” said Rep. Joe Sanfelippo, R-New Berlin. “Enrolling is half the battle, but we want to make sure the kids really are there so they’ll be able to get a good education and hopefully get themselves out of a cycle of poverty.”
Democrats argued the bill sets an unfair and harmful penalty for low-income families.
“You know, just a few hundred dollars a month difference can make a huge difference in food, clothing, housing,” said Rep. Christine Sinicki, D-Milwaukee.
The measure passed 62-35. It has yet to be taken up in the Senate.
Other measures approved by the Assembly on Wednesday would:
Wisconsin Public Radio, © Copyright 2024, Board of Regents of the University of Wisconsin System and Wisconsin Educational Communications Board.


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Coalition Calls For Audit Of Milwaukee Police Department - WPR
Chuck Quirmbach
August 2, 2017
A coalition of community leaders in Milwaukee says several changes in the city’s police force would make residents safer.
The Community Coalition for Quality Policing includes leaders of civil rights, black, Latino and religious organizations. Pastor Steve Jerbe said at a Tuesday news conference that one of their recommendations is for an audit of the Milwaukee Police Department’s policy of identifying and addressing the roots of crime — so-called problem-oriented policing.
“The audit is a way that the city may demonstrate public trust, and take initial steps to assess and approve its effectiveness, through an independent, third-party review,” Jerbe said. He also wants the city to release a U.S. Department of Justice analysis of the Milwaukee police force. Police leaders say they’re trying to get  the DOJ to fully release the report.
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Milwaukee Police Chief Ed Flynn says he’s open to an audit but wants to know who would pay for it.
“Certainly, we’re not averse to anyone coming in and examining our community policing efforts, because we think they’re among the nation’s best. So, if they can identify the funding, great,” Flynn said.
Flynn, however, questioned another coalition recommendation to strengthen Milwaukee’s Fire and Police Commission. He said the citizen panel appointed by Milwaukee’s mayor is already among the nation’s best.
Wisconsin Public Radio, © Copyright 2024, Board of Regents of the University of Wisconsin System and Wisconsin Educational Communications Board.

created: August 2, 2017


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Community Health Centers Approach Funding Cliff - WPR
Shamane Mills
September 20, 2017
Free and reduced health clinics are facing a 70 percent cut in federal funding unless Congress acts by the end of the month to extend funding for the Health Centers program.
Federally qualified health centers in Wisconsin stand to lose $29 million in funding if lawmakers don’t act by Saturday, Sept. 30. That’s when the Health Centers Fund, created in 2010 under the Affordable Care Act, expires and 30,000 patients in Wisconsin could lose access to care.
“If Congress doesn’t authorize an extension of health center funding, we’d be risking patient care and many jobs in areas of the state where community health centers are often one of the largest employers,” said Lisa Olson, director of policy and programs at the Wisconsin Primary Health Care Association. That organization and others have sent a letter to Wisconsin’s congressional delegation about the matter.
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The federal funding allows for a sliding fee discount at community health centers. It also provides funding for additional services, such as oral and behavioral health, and substance abuse treatment.
“We just need them to take action before September 30th and there are lots of things fighting for Congress’ attention in the next 10 days,” Olson said.
One of the biggest items on the congressional agenda is a proposal to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act. House leaders have set a vote for next Thursday on a bill that U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wisconsin, and three other Republicans have introduced.
Wisconsin Public Radio, © Copyright 2024, Board of Regents of the University of Wisconsin System and Wisconsin Educational Communications Board.

created: September 20, 2017

author: Shamane Mills


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Community Health Clinics Make Contingency Budget Plans - WPR
Shamane Mills
November 28, 2017
Health clinics in Wisconsin that are required to help patients regardless of what they can pay are worried about their bottom line. Community health centers have been waiting two months for Congress to reauthorize federal funding.
As community health centers wait for Congress to act, they are making adjustments in case they don’t get the $29 million in annual federal grant money they need by the end of December.
“So health centers have started to make contingency plans. Some have instituted hiring freezes, others have put plans to expand critical services on hold,” said Lisa Olson, director of policy and programs for the Wisconsin Primary Health Care Association. The WPHCA includes 18 community health centers in medically underserved areas of Wisconsin.
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Each community health center has their own budget, and so their reliance on federal funding varies depending on the number of uninsured patients they see. It can vary anywhere from 10-40 percent of a clinic’s overall budget, Olson said.
“We’re hopeful there’s a lot of agreement in Congress for the health center program; it’s just they haven’t been able to get it done. They’ve been focused on tax reform while other critical priorities have been put on hold,” said Olson.
Health advocates are also worried about federal funding for the Children’s Health Insurance Program, or CHIP. State health officials said last month the program will continue even if federal funds end.
The program insures children whose parents make too much to qualify for Medicaid but can’t afford private insurance.
CHIP funded coverage for more than 171,000 children in Wisconsin during fiscal year 2016 through the BadgerCare Plus program, according to Medicaid statistics.
A House version of a bill includes both funding for CHIP and community health centers. It’s stalled in the U.S. Senate due to the focus on the tax plan.
Wisconsin Public Radio, © Copyright 2024, Board of Regents of the University of Wisconsin System and Wisconsin Educational Communications Board.

created: November 28, 2017


text:
Convention Host Cities Tell Milwaukee To Play The Long Game - WPR
Corrinne Hess
October 4, 2019
Landing the Democratic National Convention for next summer was a major coup for Milwaukee. But according to other host cities for major political or sports events, Milwaukee will have to play the “long game” to achieve true economic success.
“This is not going to be a million-dollar week, but it is going to be a productive week,” said Andrea Mokros, former vice president of communications and events for the Minnesota Super Bowl Host Committee. Minneapolis hosted Super Bowl LII on Feb. 4, 2018.
“You’re going to see some great money moving around the economy,” Mokros said. “And you want to leave a great impression on the folks coming so they go back and say, ‘Hey, I want to go back, take my friends and take my vacation in Milwaukee.’”
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Mokros was joined by Diane Downing, former chief operating officer of the Cleveland Host Committee and Angela Val, former deputy executive director of the Philadelphia Host Committee, Friday at the Italian Community Center in Milwaukee’s Third Ward. The three spoke to Milwaukee-area restaurant, hotel and venue owners about what to expect when Milwaukee hosts the convention next summer. Cleveland hosted the Republican National Convention in 2016. Philadelphia hosted the Democratic National Convention in 2016 and the Republican National Convention in 2000.
Angela Val, former deputy executive director of the Philadelphia Host Committee, left, Diane Downing, former chief operating officer of the Cleveland Host Committee and Andrea Mokros, former vice president of communications and events for the Minnesota Super Bowl Host Committee, spoke in Milwaukee Friday, Oct. 4, 2019. about hosting the 2020 Democratic National Convention. Corrinne Hess/WPR
The convention is estimated to bring 50,000 visitors over the four-day long event July 13 to July 16 and is expected to have a $200 million economic impact.
Downing said the year after Cleveland hosted the Republican National Convention, the city saw a 30 percent growth in meetings and other events and an economic benefit of $8 million to the regional economy. After the convention, Cleveland hosted the NFL Draft and the MLB All Star Game.
In the 19 years since Philadelphia hosted the Republican National Convention, the city has grown exponentially. Since 2000, the city has hosted the ESPN X Games, the NBA All Star Game, Live Aid, the U.S. Open, a visit from Pope Francis, the NFL Draft and the Democratic National Convention. Philadelphia is currently bidding on the 2026 World Cup.
“You are inviting the world, including many international visitors and media into the city,” Val said. “It’s like having Thanksgiving at your home. You are going to want to put your best foot forward no matter what your party affiliation is, no matter how you feel about a particular candidate. Take advantage of this opportunity because it will allow you later to go after bigger opportunities.“
During their events, Cleveland, Minneapolis and Philadelphia all agreed to keep their restaurants and bars open later than they normally do. The three panelists suggested Milwaukee do the same.
Wisconsin state law requires bars be closed between 2 and 6 a.m. To open Milwaukee bars longer during the convention would require approval from the state Legislature.
Mokros also told the group to make sure the city is alive at all times.
“You don’t want an empty city,” she said. “You want it to look like a big thriving city, the entire time.”
In addition to formal dinners and delegate parties, the panelists said the convention will present Milwaukee with an opportunity for unique events.
The group said they’ve experienced everything from empty store fronts being turned into pop-up shops for local makers, sunrise yoga parties and Google taking over an abandoned department store to host a party.
Val said in the months leading up to the convention, Milwaukee will question why it wanted to be a host city.
“It is going to get hard and you are going to get frustrated. But keep the long game in front of you,” Val said. “In 2000 (Philadelphia) had 22.5 million visitors. Today, we have roughly 45 million visitors. We have over 600 restaurants in the downtown area. Our city center used to be a 10×10 block radius. Now it is 30×20 blocks.”
Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett said before people come to Milwaukee they generally don’t have a good or bad opinion of the city. Instead, they have no opinion.
“In a sense, we have a canvas and we are going to paint the canvas,” Barrett said. “The impression that we leave, is going to leave an impression on how Milwaukee treats visitors and whether Milwaukee is a welcoming city.”
Wisconsin Public Radio, © Copyright 2024, Board of Regents of the University of Wisconsin System and Wisconsin Educational Communications Board.

created: October 4, 2019

author: Corrinne Hess


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Dentists: Slights In Funding, Respect At The Root Of Wisconsin's Dental Care Disparity - WPR
Shamane Mills
February 28, 2018
Dentists will tell you they deal with a lot of neglect. They often see patients who put off flossing or brushing, or let cavities sit unfilled. And like a tooth problem that gets ignored for too long, some Wisconsin dentists say state officials neglect their sector of care, slighting the industry with what they consider inadequate state funding which ultimately makes it harder for their patients to get treatment.
“We’re like the little Cinderella step child, oral health is,” said the Wisconsin Dental Association’s Monica Hebl during a recent Wisconsin Health News event in Madison. “And so when we come (and ask for higher Medicaid reimbursement rates), everybody says, ‘Well everybody wants an increase in their rates’ and then door gets shut in our face.”
The most recent state budget increased money for a variety of health services like nursing homes, school mental health and long-term support for children with disabilities. Previously, some dentists also got a boost with higher Medicaid rates in a four-county pilot program that got underway in October of 2016.
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State health officials haven’t determined if paying dentists more increases access for Medicaid patients, but a formal evaluation of the pilot is supposed to come out this fall.
Even those who want more state funds say it’s a complicated problem with no magic bullet. It can be difficult for low-income patients on Medicaid to understand why tooth care is important. The message doesn’t always sink in, Hebl said, when their patients have more pressing needs on their minds.
“Because of so many of the other things that are going on in their lives, trying to pay the bills and get food on the table, so when we talk about brushing twice a day that just kind of goes down to the bottom of the list,” she said.
And if they need a dentist, they have to find one that takes Medicaid. That’s just the first hurdle. Getting to the dentist can also be difficult says Michael Schwartz-Oscar. He is executive director of a nonprofit dental clinic in Green Bay called Oral Health Partnership. It’s one of the clinics that is part of the state’s pilot program.
“If you can imagine, some of them have a lot of barriers to transportation, some of them are looking for jobs, have interviews, so we get a ton of cancellations,” said Schwartz-Oscar. “We have to overfill our schedule so that we can continue.”
Another hurdle is the paperwork, not only for dentists but for the patients as well.
“One of the biggest barriers for all programs around the nation is getting the health history, the informed consents back so that we can see children in our clinics,” said Schwartz-Oscar.
These obstacles are why only around 30 percent of Wisconsin children on Medicaid got dental care in 2015, according to federal sources, the worst rate in the country. For adults, the numbers are no better, with many of them ending up in the emergency room seeking dental care.
“In 2016 there were over 32,000 emergency department visits for preventable oral health conditions. And when you look at data and break it down, most of those people coming in have either abscesses or something that’s occurred because of a lack of poor oral hygiene,” said Laura Rose, vice president of policy development with the Wisconsin Hospital Association.
A new state law allows dental hygienists to provide limited treatment in nursing homes, primary care clinics and other settings, something Rose calls a “step in the right direction.”
State Rep. Mary Felzkowski, R-Irma, and Sen. David Craig, R-Big Bend, have also introduced a bill at the state Capitol that would allow what are called dental therapists — midlevel providers similar to physician assistants in medicine.
There may be no quick cure for improving dental care access in the state; its been a concern for decades. But the issue is starting to get attention and some dentists are even becoming optimistic.
“This is a solvable issue. I go back to when I used to do tobacco control work in 2000,” said David Gundersen, a Dane County dentist and former executive director of the Wisconsin Tobacco Control Board. “We started talking about bars and restaurants going smoke-free and people said, ‘that’s never going to happen in Wisconsin’ and within seven years it had happened. Now seven years seems like an eternity but it had to trickle up.”
The Wisconsin Dental Association says it would eventually like to see the number of low-income children getting dental care be similar to that of children who are not on Medicaid. A recent study by WalletHub ranked Wisconsin second best for dental care in the general population.
Editor’s Note: This story is Part 3 of a three-part series exploring dental coverage across the state of Wisconsin. Read Part 1 and Part 2.
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created: February 28, 2018


text:
Dontre Hamilton's Family Still Seeking Justice After $2.3M Settlement - WPR
May 31, 2017
The family of the black man fatally shot by a white police officer in 2014 says they’re not done pursuing justice after a $2.3 million financial settlement was approved Wednesday by the Milwaukee Common Council.
At a press conference Wednesday, the mother of Dontre Hamilton, the mentally ill black man fatally shot by the white police officer in a confrontation in a downtown park, said the settlement is not a victory or the justice her family wanted, but she said it will help her grandchild in the future.
“Dontre has an heir, and hopefully this settlement will give him a better life,” Hamilton’s mother, Maria Hamilton, said at the press conference in the downtown park where Dontre was shot in 2014.
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The lawsuit was brought on behalf of the son of 31-year-old Dontre. After legal fees, the remainder of the settlement will be placed in a fund for the son that he’ll receive when he becomes an adult.
A spokeswoman for Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett says he’s expected to sign the settlement. Spokeswoman Jodie Tabak made the comment hours after the city’s Common Council unanimously approved the settlement.
Maria Hamilton holds a photo of her son Dontre Hamilton, who was fatally shot by a Milwaukee police officer in April 2014, at her home on Monday, March 30, 2015 in Milwaukee. Carrie Antlfinger/AP Photo
At the common council meeting Wednesday, alderwoman Milele Coggs spoke in favor of the agreement, casting her “yes” vote “in recognition of the fact that black lives do matter, and that there is no dollar amount that will ever replace Dontre or any of the long list of other names that exist on the list of people who died at the hands of police officers across the nation,” she said.
Several other members of the common council also endorsed the settlement.
One alderman, Bob Donovan, abstained from voting. He said many police officers tell him the firing of the police officer who shot Hamilton was an effort to avoid racial unrest.
Officer Christopher Manney was responding to a complaint of a man sleeping in the downtown Milwaukee park when he encountered Dontre. Manney said Dontre attacked him as he frisked him for weapons. Manney shot him 14 times and claimed self-defense.
Manney was fired for violating department rules when he encountered Hamilton, not for the fatal shooting.
Dontre’s family later sued the city over his death.
The Hamilton family will work to hold other law enforcement accountable in other officer-involved shootings, Maria said Wednesday. She also urged more people to push for change and become a voice for what she called “stolen lives.”
Editor’s Note: This story was last updated at 4:30 p.m. May 31, 2017, with comments from Maria Hamilton.
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