Early Release From Prison
By Vice President Thomas E. Fischer - Milwaukee Police Association 

During the month of February, Mayor Tom Barrett, along with Milwaukee Police Department Chief Edward Flynn, held a news conference to announce a 10 percent drop in violent crime in the City of Milwaukee for 2008.  They stated that with the help of the community there was a 32 percent drop in homicide, 10 percent decrease in robberies and a 9.5 percent drop in aggravated assaults.  In the category of property crimes there was a reduction in auto thefts, arsons and theft.  The numbers that were presented at that press conference were more than numbers; it represented 3000 fewer crime victims in our city.

If Governor Doyle’s proposed budget relating to the change in the Truth in Sentencing laws is passed, Milwaukee and other cities in this state will see increases in all crime categories.  This proposal is taking away the judge’s discretion while sentencing a convicted criminal and putting it in the hands of bureaucrats on a parole commission with no accountability to the public for their actions.

The proposed change in the law would only permit early release for felons if they were convicted of a non- violent Class F through Class I felony, except for certain sex offenders or persons that were previously convicted of a violent felony.

Let us look at what types of crimes are defined to be in those classifications--they include Robbery, Burglary, Stalking, theft, failure to prevent sexual abuse of a child, negligent homicide, negligent vehicle homicide, embezzlement, ID theft, forgery, battery causing great bodily harm, false imprisonment, substantial battery, and child pornography to name a few.  

The proposal also includes eliminating state supervision of approximately 7000 people that have been convicted of misdemeanors who are currently on probations and deemed to be low risk. 

Let us not forgot that Corrections will be allowed to remove the GPS units from sex offenders thus allowing them to move around without being monitored in real time.

This proposal is putting the citizens of this State in danger while putting dangerous convicted criminals back on the streets in our communities.  Why continue with a judicial system for non-violent criminal offenses if there is to be no punishment. 

Why the proposed changes in this budget?  Well it has been presented as a cost saving factor for the state’s budget.  But is that statement reality? NO.  In a 2007 study on incarceration rates from the Wisconsin Policy Institute authored by John McAdams, an Associate Professor of Political Science at Marquette University, he says no.

University of Chicago economist Steven Levitt says that increased imprisonment is one of the reasons crime decreased sharply in the 1990s.  The increase in incarceration can account for a reduction of approximately 12 percent in homicide and violent crimes and 8 percent in property crimes. 

During the research for this presentation, the MPA discovered the following victims from the City of Milwaukee that were seriously injured or killed by suspects that were either on probation for a non- violent offense, or on an extended supervision, when they committed these new violent offenses:

Frank Moore II, shot to death while coming to the aid of a neighbor who feared her house was being burglarized.

Brandon J. Sprewer, a Special Olympian murdered at a city bus stop while going from his job at a grocery store to his grandparents house.

The triple homicide that occurred last summer in the area of 28th and Clarke St., the shooter in that offense was an early release from prison.

Prison has a deterrent effect; it will reduce crime by incapacitating criminals who would otherwise be free to prey on victims.  If a person believes that they will be locked up for committing criminal activity it acts as a deterrent and benefits citizenry at the same time.  An article from the Business Services Industry dated July 2001, concerning the large population explosion of the prison inmate system, explains that recidivism the cycle in which ex-cons return to crime and subsequent prison sentences further exacerbates the problem.  Researchers have shown that 70 percent of young convicts return to prison within 6 years (Seligman, 1989) parole violations are up 39 percent since 1990 (Willing, 1999) and that the rate of ex-convicts returning to crime may be higher, since such studies only measure actual convictions rather than crimes committed (Grossman, 1985).      

The proposals do not address how the newly released prisoner would have the work skills or rehabilitation needed to succeed in society.  The organizations that serve newly released prisoners have indicated that they will have a hard time serving additional prisoners.

In the same article as previously mentioned, it stated that within a business research context it is interesting to note the relationship between post-prison employment and the rate of recidivism.  Unemployed ex-convicts are three to five times more likely to commit another crime than those who are employed.  Yet it is especially difficult for ex-cons to obtain employment as their criminal records are viewed upon negatively by most hiring employers.  For those ex-convicts who are minorities the opportunities for employment are even lower.  

As the budgetary pressures worsen, advocacy groups are concerned that spending cuts will target the very programs needed to help inmates and avoid re-offending after their release.  Programs such as education, vocational, and drug treatment programs may be cut or have been scaled down thus greatly increasing the inmate’s chance of re-offending.

Pat Nolan who was a California legislator who served time in a federal prison on a racketeering charge and is now the vice president of Prison Fellowship, states that the idea that we cut programs and then release inmates early is a toxic combination.  Just opening prison doors and letting people out with no preparation is cruel to the offender and is dangerous to the public.    

Linda Ketchman, Executive Director of the Madison Urban Ministry, indicated in a newspaper article from the Madison area that there are not resources available now to help released prisoners.  It will overburden the shelter system and with the release of more people in the job market in an economy that is tanking, it may make it more harmful.

To summarize, this budget proposal will jeopardize the safety of citizens in what is believed to be a cost saving item in the budget.  Further, by just releasing inmates early from their sentences, it is not addressing the reform issues that need to be done in the Corrections System.