Offenders, many in rural areas, say they have been jailed due to technical problems with bracelets; some experts question value of lifetime monitoring.
Tag: Department of Corrections
Posted inGovernment, Justice & Safety, Losing Track
Opponents claim GPS monitoring violates civil rights; judges not so sure
Courts are wrestling with whether electronic monitoring is too intrusive; meanwhile, Europe uses the technology sparingly over civil-rights concerns.
Posted inGovernment, Justice & Safety, Losing Track
Homeless offenders create gaps in Wisconsin’s GPS monitoring system
Ten percent of offenders scramble to find places to plug in bracelets, some cut them off, and local laws make it hard for released sex offenders to find housing.
Posted inGovernment, Justice & Safety, Losing Track
Electronic monitoring pioneer wants less punishment, more reward
Robert S. Gable and his twin brother invented one of the first monitoring systems for criminal offenders; he is dismayed by how they are used today.
Posted inCruel and Unusual?, Health & Welfare, Justice & Safety
Wisconsin inmates report despair, little counseling in solitary confinement that can stretch on for years
Prisoners recount suicide attempts, mental harm and lack of services in solitary confinement; former Waupun psychologist describes harsh treatment of inmates.
Posted inCruel and Unusual?, Health & Welfare, Justice & Safety
Wisconsin prison officials quietly changed mental health status of inmates in solitary, psychologist says
When he returned from a medical leave in early 2016, psychologist Bradley Boivin discovered a troubling pattern among Waupun Correctional Institution inmates who had been held in solitary confinement. Thirteen of his patients’ mental health classifications had been changed without Boivin’s knowledge — and in his opinion, without proper assessment.
Posted inCruel and Unusual?, Health & Welfare, Justice & Safety
Nearly 30 years in isolation: An inmate reflects on time in solitary
LaRon McKinley, who spent 28 years in administrative confinement, says the state needs to return to rehabilitation and end long-term solitary confinement
Posted inCruel and Unusual?, Justice & Safety
Wisconsin prison officials begin force feedings as solitary confinement protest continues
The state Department of Corrections is force feeding at least three inmates as a hunger strike aimed at ending a form of solitary confinement that can go on for years — even decades — continues for a third week.
Posted inCruel and Unusual?, Justice & Safety
A tale of two states: Wisconsin trails Colorado as both cut solitary confinement
Colorado’s decision to curtail the use of solitary confinement — which the state of Wisconsin has begun to do — offers lessons for the Badger State that its former prisons chief, Rick Raemisch, is uniquely positioned to offer.
Posted inHealth & Welfare, Justice & Safety, Precious Lives
Focus on traumatic childhood helps victims heal and succeed
Wisconsin is part of a growing nationwide movement to adopt trauma-informed care, an approach that helps people identify and overcome negative childhood experiences. The approach is being used to improve mental health, provide social services and address a wide range of criminal justice problems.
Posted inHealth & Welfare, Justice & Safety, Precious Lives
What role did trauma-informed care play in alleged juvenile prison abuse?
Critics charge that a trauma-informed care approach led to security breakdowns at Wisconsin’s two juvenile prisons; advocates say both facilities failed to fully implement the program
Posted inCruel and Unusual?, Justice & Safety
Lawmakers want answers on abuse allegations at Waupun
Six Democratic Wisconsin lawmakers have written the state Department of Corrections demanding action regarding allegations of abuse of inmates by guards at Waupun Correctional Institution.