by capper
Over the last two days, I've written of the life and the way-too-early death of Alexander Orlowski, an inmate who died from an accidental drug overdose at the House of Correction.
So what happens now?
As I mentioned yesterday, the Alexander's parents, Gary and Patti Orlowski, have a claim against the county, as a precursor to a lawsuit for the County's negligence in ensuring his safety. County Board Supervisor Mark Borkowski, whose district includes the HOC, feels that the Orlowskis have a pretty good chance of winning any lawsuit.
The Orlowskis realize that a lawsuit won't bring their son back. But they also feel that those responsible should be held to some sort of accountability.
The inmate that "sold" the Methadone to Alexander, Samuel Fitzpatrick, is facing charges of reckless homicide, under the Len Bias Law.
Despite a continuous series of crises at the House of Correction, including massive overtime payments due to being excessively short staffed, Alexander's death, and a damning audit done by the feds, Superintendent Ron Malone was fully endorsed by County Executive Scott Walker for reappointment after the elections this spring. After a lot of argument and delay, and with a lot of lobbying by Walker and his Chief of Staff Tom Nardelli, the County Board finally affirmed the reappointment.
All of this, only to have Walker throw Malone under the bus in the 2009 budget proposal, in which the County has decided to take the House of Correction, the Community Correctional Center, and the work release program and put it under the auspices of the Sheriff's Office.
Supervisor Borkowski told me that he has problems with the way that Walker and Nardelli so strongly commended Malone for supposedly turning around the HOC after the audit, only to turn on him months later with the budget proposal. The cynical side of me believes that Walker was planning for a long time to dump Malone, and thought it better to just keep him for a few more months than to put someone else in his place until he could foist the whole mess onto Clarke. I also recall Supervisor John Weishan arguing against the transfer of the HOC, stating that it would only allow Walker to walk away from the mess he created, without holding him accountable.
Clarke wasted no time and went down there to check things out. It does not appear that Malone did a lot to fix things after all, if one can believe Clark that is. His reputation appears pretty questionable as of late. I do know from inside sources that Clarke has already kicked Malone out of his own office and took it as his own.
It is questionable on what kind of effect that this change will have on things. Vanessa Allen of the Public Policy Forum had written a post a while ago, raising some interesting questions on how this might effect sentences issued by judges and other issues.
Borkowski told me that while he has no confidence in the current administration, he is not so sure that Clarke will actually improve things. He described the switch as being a panacea to the HOC's woes, but thinks it could turn out to be more of a placebo.
Borkowski goes on to point out that there might be some strife at the HOC between the COs and the Sheriff. One must concur when they think of all the lawsuits that were filed by the deputies' union. Clarke lost almost every one of them to boot.
It is also important to remember that Clark, about three or four years ago, lost a major lawsuit alleging that the Sheriff's Office and the Milwaukee County Jail were infringing on people's rights due to filthy living conditions and extraordinarily long waits, just to get booked. Clarke's incompetence cost taxpayers millions of dollars on that one alone.
For what it's worth, I have mixed feelings about the change.
Part of me agrees that it is only logical that the Sheriff's Office and the HOC be combined, since their work is already fairly symbiotic. It should help things go smoother and eliminate a level of unnecessary bureaucracy.
I do have concerns with putting the Sheriff in charge of 48% of the tax levy. Given his propensity of getting sued and losing those lawsuits, is it really wise to give him a chance to pick up even more lawsuits and lose more of our tax money?
Overall, I do think that while it is unfortunate that Walker will again get off without being held responsible for the disaster he created at HOC, that the merger is a good thing. It just points out that we need to get Walker and Clarke out of office, and put in people with at least some rudimentary understanding of what's going on and how to do things the proper way. And the sooner we do that, the better we will all be for it.
Showing posts with label House of Correction. Show all posts
Showing posts with label House of Correction. Show all posts
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
Monday, November 24, 2008
The Death of Alexander Orlowski
by capper
Yesterday, I told the gentle reader about the life of Alexander Orlowski, a young man that died while incarcerated at the House of Correction.
But the question now is this: How was Alexander allowed to die? The long answer short is that he was caught in the perfect storm of personal problems, bureaucratic incompetency and political influences.
The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported in April 2008 that another inmate, Samuel M. Fitzpatrick, sold some methadone pills to Alexander, who eventually overdosed on these pills. The article goes on to mention that Alexander and Fitzpatrick were both drug addicts, but does little else to give the reader any further in-depth look at why Alexander died.
As I mentioned yesterday, Alexander was a drug addict. To complicate the matter, he also had Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. This meant that Alexander really never had a chance to fight his addiction unless he had some enforced sobriety and a lot of support.
Due to his addiction and mental illness, Alexander was often in trouble with the law. He was caught a number of times burglarizing houses and businesses to pay for his habit. He has a criminal history that includes burglary, breaking and entering, trespassing, resisting arrest and possession of a controlled substance.
When he was finally sentenced to the House of Correction, his parents report that they actually felt relief. They thought that at least they knew where he was, and that he would be relatively safe, as opposed to be out on the streets somewhere, doing God knows what, to support his habit.
At first, the Orlowskis were correct. Alexander responded well to the forced sobriety. He became more of his old self and would often write or call home. He became more focused on improving his life and earned his GED just weeks before he died. He kept telling his parents that he missed them and couldn't wait to get home. He asked them to delay Christmas until he came home.
Alexander, due to going to school, and then getting a job in the kitchen, was put into a dorm know as Z-2, or Zebra 2. When I worked at the HOC, I worked in that dorm. It was one of the hardest dorms to work in. Most dorms at HOC are large rooms where the correction officer would have an unobstructed view of almost the entire dorm. Z-2 is different than the rest. It is two smaller rooms divided by a hallway. The dayroom is behind the officer, instead of in front of him or her. The shower is off the dayroom and cannot be seen from the desk at all. Even if the officer was constantly patrolling the entire dorm, there would be plenty of opportunity for the inmates to get into all sorts of mischief. On top of it all, at night, when the main lights are off, it is very dim and difficult to see.
When I worked there, all but the most strictly controlled medications were kept in a locked footlocker and the officer was responsible to administer the medications. I believe that since I worked there, the policy was changed and a nurse was supposed to administer the medications, but rarely with the officer there to help supervise to make sure the inmate took the medicine, and didn't palm it or cheek it. Due to the bustle, the poor supervision and the dimness, it would still be easy for an inmate to cache his medication, either for later use, or more commonly, to sell for canteen (chips, soda, candy, etc.)
When the powers that be transferred Fitzpatrick into Z-2, Alexander was doomed. According to what the Orlowskis learned from the investigation, Fitzpatrick was known to deal his medication. As the paper reported, Fitzpatrick somehow was able to get a doctor to prescribe a large dose of Methadone. Methadone is commonly used to treat heroin withdrawal, but has become the drug of choice to replace Oxycontin as a pain reliever. Oxycontin was replaced due to its high demand as a way to get high among inmates.
Fitzpatrick was being given 14 tablets of Methadone, twice a day. It makes me wonder if there was any safety mechanism in place for medication review. While I am not a doctor, that seems like an unusually large amount of Methadone to give anyone, just for pain.
Anyway, it did not take long for Fitzpatrick to declare himself open for business and found a more than willing customer in Alexander. Likewise, it did not take Alexander long to build up a supply for himself. A supply large enough to turn out to be lethal.
On the day that Alexander died, he was supposed to get up for work, but when the officer went to wake him, he sat up, then quickly fell back in his cot and back to sleep. The officer sent an alternative in his place. Later that morning, Alexander was snoring loudly enough to have other inmates complain to the officer, and still nothing was done. Some even expressed concern that something was wrong with Alexander, but it still took hours before the officer called for medical help to come to the dorm.
Without being privy to the actual investigation reports, or talking to those that were there, I am hesitant to state definitively why there was such a long delay in summoning help. The officer might have thought that Alexander was malingering, wanting to take the holiday off from work. Maybe the officer wasn't trained very well. Maybe the officer was just not a good officer. We all work in fields where some people are better at their jobs, and some are worse at them. At that time, due to Scott Walker's budget cuts, officers were being forced to work many hours of overtime, and maybe the officer was just extremely tired and not performing his duties as he should have.
I don't know if we will ever know for sure what else happened that night. Fitzpatrick is scheduled to go to trial in January, and maybe some answers will come out then.
What I do know is that not only did the HOC not give the necessary care and supervision to Alexander was alive, they dropped the ball after his death.
The Orlowskis told me that they were notified of Alexander's death by a detective with the Milwaukee County Sheriff's Office. Then they heard nothing again until the detective came back a few weeks later with Alexander's personal effects. Not once did they hear from Ron Malone, the superintendent of the HOC. Nor did they hear from any of the assistant superintendents or any other staff member of the HOC. Nor did any of these people return their phone calls.
Nor did they hear from Scott Walker, who is Ron Malone's boss.
County Board Supervisor Mark Borkowski, whose district includes the HOC, did talk to me about this case. He told me that he felt terrible about what happened to Alexander, but that "the damage was done and no magic will bring him back." He did add that if this is "how the County deals with grieving parents, he is ashamed to part of it."
The Orlowskis did hear from the inmates. Many of the inmates called and wrote to the Orlowskis. The told them how Alexander was respected among the others, not only for his art talents, but because he was just a likable kid. They told them how they tried to get help for Alexander, but had their efforts rebuffed by the correction officer.
Were the inmate lying to the Orlowski, just to make themselves look better or to assuage their own feelings of guilt? Maybe. Or maybe they felt that Alexander was definitely treated unjustly, and wanted someone to know. Either way, it is not often that inmates will go to that kind of effort for another inmate. That alone tells me that Alexander was one of those people that could reach out and affect people, no matter who they were.
The Orlowskis have filed a claim against the county, stating that "the county was grossly negligent in the hiring, training and supervision of employees at the House of Correction." A claim is the precursor to a lawsuit. Borkowski told me that from what he has learned of this case, he thinks that they have strong grounds and a good chance of winning.
Tomorrow, we will look at the future of the HOC, and what some pending changes could mean.
Yesterday, I told the gentle reader about the life of Alexander Orlowski, a young man that died while incarcerated at the House of Correction.
But the question now is this: How was Alexander allowed to die? The long answer short is that he was caught in the perfect storm of personal problems, bureaucratic incompetency and political influences.
The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported in April 2008 that another inmate, Samuel M. Fitzpatrick, sold some methadone pills to Alexander, who eventually overdosed on these pills. The article goes on to mention that Alexander and Fitzpatrick were both drug addicts, but does little else to give the reader any further in-depth look at why Alexander died.
As I mentioned yesterday, Alexander was a drug addict. To complicate the matter, he also had Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. This meant that Alexander really never had a chance to fight his addiction unless he had some enforced sobriety and a lot of support.
Due to his addiction and mental illness, Alexander was often in trouble with the law. He was caught a number of times burglarizing houses and businesses to pay for his habit. He has a criminal history that includes burglary, breaking and entering, trespassing, resisting arrest and possession of a controlled substance.
When he was finally sentenced to the House of Correction, his parents report that they actually felt relief. They thought that at least they knew where he was, and that he would be relatively safe, as opposed to be out on the streets somewhere, doing God knows what, to support his habit.
At first, the Orlowskis were correct. Alexander responded well to the forced sobriety. He became more of his old self and would often write or call home. He became more focused on improving his life and earned his GED just weeks before he died. He kept telling his parents that he missed them and couldn't wait to get home. He asked them to delay Christmas until he came home.
Alexander, due to going to school, and then getting a job in the kitchen, was put into a dorm know as Z-2, or Zebra 2. When I worked at the HOC, I worked in that dorm. It was one of the hardest dorms to work in. Most dorms at HOC are large rooms where the correction officer would have an unobstructed view of almost the entire dorm. Z-2 is different than the rest. It is two smaller rooms divided by a hallway. The dayroom is behind the officer, instead of in front of him or her. The shower is off the dayroom and cannot be seen from the desk at all. Even if the officer was constantly patrolling the entire dorm, there would be plenty of opportunity for the inmates to get into all sorts of mischief. On top of it all, at night, when the main lights are off, it is very dim and difficult to see.
When I worked there, all but the most strictly controlled medications were kept in a locked footlocker and the officer was responsible to administer the medications. I believe that since I worked there, the policy was changed and a nurse was supposed to administer the medications, but rarely with the officer there to help supervise to make sure the inmate took the medicine, and didn't palm it or cheek it. Due to the bustle, the poor supervision and the dimness, it would still be easy for an inmate to cache his medication, either for later use, or more commonly, to sell for canteen (chips, soda, candy, etc.)
When the powers that be transferred Fitzpatrick into Z-2, Alexander was doomed. According to what the Orlowskis learned from the investigation, Fitzpatrick was known to deal his medication. As the paper reported, Fitzpatrick somehow was able to get a doctor to prescribe a large dose of Methadone. Methadone is commonly used to treat heroin withdrawal, but has become the drug of choice to replace Oxycontin as a pain reliever. Oxycontin was replaced due to its high demand as a way to get high among inmates.
Fitzpatrick was being given 14 tablets of Methadone, twice a day. It makes me wonder if there was any safety mechanism in place for medication review. While I am not a doctor, that seems like an unusually large amount of Methadone to give anyone, just for pain.
Anyway, it did not take long for Fitzpatrick to declare himself open for business and found a more than willing customer in Alexander. Likewise, it did not take Alexander long to build up a supply for himself. A supply large enough to turn out to be lethal.
On the day that Alexander died, he was supposed to get up for work, but when the officer went to wake him, he sat up, then quickly fell back in his cot and back to sleep. The officer sent an alternative in his place. Later that morning, Alexander was snoring loudly enough to have other inmates complain to the officer, and still nothing was done. Some even expressed concern that something was wrong with Alexander, but it still took hours before the officer called for medical help to come to the dorm.
Without being privy to the actual investigation reports, or talking to those that were there, I am hesitant to state definitively why there was such a long delay in summoning help. The officer might have thought that Alexander was malingering, wanting to take the holiday off from work. Maybe the officer wasn't trained very well. Maybe the officer was just not a good officer. We all work in fields where some people are better at their jobs, and some are worse at them. At that time, due to Scott Walker's budget cuts, officers were being forced to work many hours of overtime, and maybe the officer was just extremely tired and not performing his duties as he should have.
I don't know if we will ever know for sure what else happened that night. Fitzpatrick is scheduled to go to trial in January, and maybe some answers will come out then.
What I do know is that not only did the HOC not give the necessary care and supervision to Alexander was alive, they dropped the ball after his death.
The Orlowskis told me that they were notified of Alexander's death by a detective with the Milwaukee County Sheriff's Office. Then they heard nothing again until the detective came back a few weeks later with Alexander's personal effects. Not once did they hear from Ron Malone, the superintendent of the HOC. Nor did they hear from any of the assistant superintendents or any other staff member of the HOC. Nor did any of these people return their phone calls.
Nor did they hear from Scott Walker, who is Ron Malone's boss.
County Board Supervisor Mark Borkowski, whose district includes the HOC, did talk to me about this case. He told me that he felt terrible about what happened to Alexander, but that "the damage was done and no magic will bring him back." He did add that if this is "how the County deals with grieving parents, he is ashamed to part of it."
The Orlowskis did hear from the inmates. Many of the inmates called and wrote to the Orlowskis. The told them how Alexander was respected among the others, not only for his art talents, but because he was just a likable kid. They told them how they tried to get help for Alexander, but had their efforts rebuffed by the correction officer.
Were the inmate lying to the Orlowski, just to make themselves look better or to assuage their own feelings of guilt? Maybe. Or maybe they felt that Alexander was definitely treated unjustly, and wanted someone to know. Either way, it is not often that inmates will go to that kind of effort for another inmate. That alone tells me that Alexander was one of those people that could reach out and affect people, no matter who they were.
The Orlowskis have filed a claim against the county, stating that "the county was grossly negligent in the hiring, training and supervision of employees at the House of Correction." A claim is the precursor to a lawsuit. Borkowski told me that from what he has learned of this case, he thinks that they have strong grounds and a good chance of winning.
Tomorrow, we will look at the future of the HOC, and what some pending changes could mean.
Sunday, November 23, 2008
The Life of Alexander Orlowski
by capper
In four days, it will be Thanksgiving Day, the kick off to the holiday season. Most of us are already preparing for the day. Some of us are looking ahead to stuffing ourselves on turkey, stuffing, yams and pumpkin pie. Some of us are looking forward to a day of football. Some of us are looking forward to gathering with friends and/or family, some of which we haven't seen for a long time.
Some of us aren't so lucky. Gary and Patti Orlowski wish that they could have their whole family over for Thanksgiving feasting, football watching and having good times. But they can't.
Their son, Alexander Orlowski (pictured at lower right), died last year, on Thanksgiving morning.
I wrote a post about Alexander's death last year, one of many posts I wrote about the problems and disfunctionality at the Milwaukee County House of Correction. Alexander was the inmate that passed away due to an overdose of prescription medication while serving his sentence at the House
of Correction.
Not too long ago, I received an email from Patti Orlowski, Alexander's mother. She told me that she had done a search on her son's name, and had found my post. She also wrote that she and her husband have been struggling with getting any answers from HOC on their son's death, and having a difficult time getting things changed so that something like this doesn't happen again.
We started to correspond, and eventually I was able to meet the Orlowskis one evening for a cup of coffee, and they told me about their son, and the problems they've faced since his passing. With their permission, I will share their story, and Alexander's story, with you today and over the next couple of days.
Today, I want to just talk about Alexander's life.
Too often, I hear people on the radio or the TV, or read in the blogs, that anyone that is incarcerated is a "thug." It doesn't matter who the person is, what they did or why they did whatever crime they committed to get arrested in the first place. It is much easier to condemn and dehumanize that person, than try to understand them. I personally think that many of these people are subconsciously afraid that they will recognize themselves or someone they love in these people if they look to closely at them.
Alexander had a pretty normal start to life. He came from a blended family, meaning that Patti and Gary both had children from other relationships before getting married. Between the two, they have four children, including Alexander, who was the baby of the family. Gary works in sales and marketing. Patti was recently laid off from Reiman Publishing in Greendale.
Their family is much like any other middle class family in the suburbs. They have had moments of great joy. They've had times of great sorrow. And they have great pride and love for all of their children.
The Orlowskis told me that Alex was a really good boy early in life. They told be that he was very creative and artistic. They had shown me some of the artwork Alexander did while at HOC. These were just pencil and paper drawings, but one could just see the talent he possessed. They told me he was very popular with the other inmates who would "hire" Alex to do drawings for them to send home to their loved ones. They would give Alex a prearranged amount of canteen (chips, candy, soda) for his work.
When Alexander was in the third or fourth grade, some early signs of his future problems started to manifest themselves. He had a hard time studying and staying focused. He went through an assessment and was found to have Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder.
By the time he was in middle school, the ADHD was in full swing, and Alexander was prescribed to take Dexadrine. The medication had mixed results. While he was managing at school, he was starting to show an increase in behaviors. He was often caught up in lies as he tried to cover up things that he did on an impulse, but still knew was wrong. Things like saying he was going over to a friend's house, but then go off to someplace else, like the mall.
In high school, Alexander's behaviors grew increasingly more serious. Friends turned him on to drugs, including alcohol and marijuana. If you have known anyone with a mental illness, whether or not they are under doctor's care, you already know that adding street drugs to the mix is a dangerous recipe for disaster. The mentally ill person feels temporary relief from their problems, and are more likely to develop an addiction. This is what happened to Alexander.
His drug usage quickly escalated to include heroin, which is highly addictive in itself. To support his habit, he did what most addicts do, he started resorting to crime to get money to pay for it.
He started stealing from his parents. They would find money, jewelry, alcohol and other things coming up missing. Alexander also started to break into people's houses to steal from them.
His behavior also escalated. He was quick to become enraged and was punching walls. He was disruptive in school. He was bounced from school to school. He attended Greendale High, Greenfield High and an alternative high school. He never graduated from any of them.
He was also getting into trouble with the law. He was arrested for disorderly conduct, possession of a controlled substance and underage drinking.
He was involved with various agencies, often through Children's Court. The agencies included Running Rebels, Southwest Key and the Matt Talbot Recovery Center of Milwaukee. While he was in each of these programs, Alexander did much better. He was able to get off of the drugs and the alcohol, and became the sweet boy that Gary and Patti knew he could be.
Unfortunately, the support he received from these groups were not infinite, and soon after being discharged from them, Alexander would end up with the wrong people, in the wrong neighborhoods, doing the wrong things again.
When Alexander was 17 years old, he overdosed on heroin. He would have died that night, except that Garry noticed that Alexander was experiencing breathing problems and called 911. He was in St. Luke's Hospital's ICU for a month due to respiratory distress and a strep infection in his blood, all from the drug use.
When he became an adult, Alexander had been charged three times for breaking and entering. He was finally sentenced to the House of Correction. His parents actually felt relief when he was sentenced, thinking at least they knew where he was and that he'd be safe. We'll talk more about that tomorrow.
For now, I would just ask the gentle reader to reflect on their lives, compared to the Orlowskis. Most of us have, just like the Orlowskis, I'm sure, a fairly normal life. We get up, go to work, come home to our families. For those with children, we spend time playing with them, helping them with homework, and telling them that we love them.
But just like the Orlowskis, one never knows when something can happen to turn our worlds upside down. Some forms of mental illness, like any other illness such as diabetes or heart problems, are hereditary, so there might be a clue ahead of time. Many times, there is no such indication, and unless you already have an understanding of mental health issues, it can be very alarming and frightening, because your loved one is acting so bizarrely, so dangerously and you don't understand why.
I have worked with the mentally ill in one way or another my entire professional career. It still saddens and angers me when people with a mental illness are still being stigmatized by society as a whole. Mental illness is just that, an illness. We don't treat diabetics, cancer patients or people with asthma like second-class citizens. We shouldn't treat the mentally ill that way either.
This also reminds me of something I was told during my first week working at the HOC. The sergeant in charge of training us kept reminding us that the inmates are people too. They are someone's brother, father, son, sister, mother, daughter, aunt or uncle. And they could be anyone of us. All it takes is one mistake, one bad decision, or even one bad break in luck, and any one of could end up incarcerated. The point he was trying to make is that we didn't necessarily have to like the person, or even respect them, but that they still should be treated with respect anyway, because they are people too.
Alexander's story also reminded me of an old saying. It goes, "There but for the grace of God, go I."
In four days, it will be Thanksgiving Day, the kick off to the holiday season. Most of us are already preparing for the day. Some of us are looking ahead to stuffing ourselves on turkey, stuffing, yams and pumpkin pie. Some of us are looking forward to a day of football. Some of us are looking forward to gathering with friends and/or family, some of which we haven't seen for a long time.
Some of us aren't so lucky. Gary and Patti Orlowski wish that they could have their whole family over for Thanksgiving feasting, football watching and having good times. But they can't.
Their son, Alexander Orlowski (pictured at lower right), died last year, on Thanksgiving morning.
I wrote a post about Alexander's death last year, one of many posts I wrote about the problems and disfunctionality at the Milwaukee County House of Correction. Alexander was the inmate that passed away due to an overdose of prescription medication while serving his sentence at the House
of Correction.Not too long ago, I received an email from Patti Orlowski, Alexander's mother. She told me that she had done a search on her son's name, and had found my post. She also wrote that she and her husband have been struggling with getting any answers from HOC on their son's death, and having a difficult time getting things changed so that something like this doesn't happen again.
We started to correspond, and eventually I was able to meet the Orlowskis one evening for a cup of coffee, and they told me about their son, and the problems they've faced since his passing. With their permission, I will share their story, and Alexander's story, with you today and over the next couple of days.
Today, I want to just talk about Alexander's life.
Too often, I hear people on the radio or the TV, or read in the blogs, that anyone that is incarcerated is a "thug." It doesn't matter who the person is, what they did or why they did whatever crime they committed to get arrested in the first place. It is much easier to condemn and dehumanize that person, than try to understand them. I personally think that many of these people are subconsciously afraid that they will recognize themselves or someone they love in these people if they look to closely at them.
Alexander had a pretty normal start to life. He came from a blended family, meaning that Patti and Gary both had children from other relationships before getting married. Between the two, they have four children, including Alexander, who was the baby of the family. Gary works in sales and marketing. Patti was recently laid off from Reiman Publishing in Greendale.
Their family is much like any other middle class family in the suburbs. They have had moments of great joy. They've had times of great sorrow. And they have great pride and love for all of their children.
The Orlowskis told me that Alex was a really good boy early in life. They told be that he was very creative and artistic. They had shown me some of the artwork Alexander did while at HOC. These were just pencil and paper drawings, but one could just see the talent he possessed. They told me he was very popular with the other inmates who would "hire" Alex to do drawings for them to send home to their loved ones. They would give Alex a prearranged amount of canteen (chips, candy, soda) for his work.
When Alexander was in the third or fourth grade, some early signs of his future problems started to manifest themselves. He had a hard time studying and staying focused. He went through an assessment and was found to have Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder.
By the time he was in middle school, the ADHD was in full swing, and Alexander was prescribed to take Dexadrine. The medication had mixed results. While he was managing at school, he was starting to show an increase in behaviors. He was often caught up in lies as he tried to cover up things that he did on an impulse, but still knew was wrong. Things like saying he was going over to a friend's house, but then go off to someplace else, like the mall.
In high school, Alexander's behaviors grew increasingly more serious. Friends turned him on to drugs, including alcohol and marijuana. If you have known anyone with a mental illness, whether or not they are under doctor's care, you already know that adding street drugs to the mix is a dangerous recipe for disaster. The mentally ill person feels temporary relief from their problems, and are more likely to develop an addiction. This is what happened to Alexander.
His drug usage quickly escalated to include heroin, which is highly addictive in itself. To support his habit, he did what most addicts do, he started resorting to crime to get money to pay for it.
He started stealing from his parents. They would find money, jewelry, alcohol and other things coming up missing. Alexander also started to break into people's houses to steal from them.
His behavior also escalated. He was quick to become enraged and was punching walls. He was disruptive in school. He was bounced from school to school. He attended Greendale High, Greenfield High and an alternative high school. He never graduated from any of them.
He was also getting into trouble with the law. He was arrested for disorderly conduct, possession of a controlled substance and underage drinking.
He was involved with various agencies, often through Children's Court. The agencies included Running Rebels, Southwest Key and the Matt Talbot Recovery Center of Milwaukee. While he was in each of these programs, Alexander did much better. He was able to get off of the drugs and the alcohol, and became the sweet boy that Gary and Patti knew he could be.
Unfortunately, the support he received from these groups were not infinite, and soon after being discharged from them, Alexander would end up with the wrong people, in the wrong neighborhoods, doing the wrong things again.
When Alexander was 17 years old, he overdosed on heroin. He would have died that night, except that Garry noticed that Alexander was experiencing breathing problems and called 911. He was in St. Luke's Hospital's ICU for a month due to respiratory distress and a strep infection in his blood, all from the drug use.
When he became an adult, Alexander had been charged three times for breaking and entering. He was finally sentenced to the House of Correction. His parents actually felt relief when he was sentenced, thinking at least they knew where he was and that he'd be safe. We'll talk more about that tomorrow.
For now, I would just ask the gentle reader to reflect on their lives, compared to the Orlowskis. Most of us have, just like the Orlowskis, I'm sure, a fairly normal life. We get up, go to work, come home to our families. For those with children, we spend time playing with them, helping them with homework, and telling them that we love them.
But just like the Orlowskis, one never knows when something can happen to turn our worlds upside down. Some forms of mental illness, like any other illness such as diabetes or heart problems, are hereditary, so there might be a clue ahead of time. Many times, there is no such indication, and unless you already have an understanding of mental health issues, it can be very alarming and frightening, because your loved one is acting so bizarrely, so dangerously and you don't understand why.
I have worked with the mentally ill in one way or another my entire professional career. It still saddens and angers me when people with a mental illness are still being stigmatized by society as a whole. Mental illness is just that, an illness. We don't treat diabetics, cancer patients or people with asthma like second-class citizens. We shouldn't treat the mentally ill that way either.
This also reminds me of something I was told during my first week working at the HOC. The sergeant in charge of training us kept reminding us that the inmates are people too. They are someone's brother, father, son, sister, mother, daughter, aunt or uncle. And they could be anyone of us. All it takes is one mistake, one bad decision, or even one bad break in luck, and any one of could end up incarcerated. The point he was trying to make is that we didn't necessarily have to like the person, or even respect them, but that they still should be treated with respect anyway, because they are people too.
Alexander's story also reminded me of an old saying. It goes, "There but for the grace of God, go I."
Thursday, June 26, 2008
The Less Than Super Superintendent
by capper
Ron Malone needs to be given his walking papers. It's that simple really.
Ron Malone is the superintendent of the Milwaukee County House of Correction (HOC). Over the past year, we have seen numerous inmates that have escaped from custody.
We have seen good correction officers being scapegoated for an inmate's escape, even though they don't know if he really escaped.
Malone has shown that he doesn't even know what the policies are at his facility regarding late nights. In fact, Malone, as superintendent would have to approve of any decisions regarding grievances, but denied ever seeing the grievances regarding the late nights.
There was an inmate that died from a drug overdose, which stemmed from the consequences of the facility being short staffed.
There have also been audits that have shown the HOC to be in terrible shape regarding security, morale, and overall policy.
Things were bad enough that County Executive Scott Walker had threatened to fire Malone if things didn't turn around in a few months.
Now, in the last day, we see that there has been an ongoing investigation into reports that ranking officers were sexually harassing female employees. From what I understand, the report does not cover the whole story, and that there are people being investigated who go above and beyond just the two lieutenants, and that the investigations have been going on for at least a couple of months. One would think that complaints this expansive and serious in nature, involving some of his higher ranked employees would have caught his attention. One might think that, but that doesn't appear to be the case:
Fortunately, some of the members of the county board have enough sense to put a halt to rubber stamping his re-appointment as superintendent, and have referred his appointment to be sent back to committee for further review. Hopefully, they will get it right this time and not agree to his re-appointment to this position.
I won't even rip on Scott Walker for this one either. I doubt if he was aware of the investigations. He's been too busyrunning for governor promoting Milwaukee County on his bike ride.
Ron Malone needs to be given his walking papers. It's that simple really.
Ron Malone is the superintendent of the Milwaukee County House of Correction (HOC). Over the past year, we have seen numerous inmates that have escaped from custody.
We have seen good correction officers being scapegoated for an inmate's escape, even though they don't know if he really escaped.
Malone has shown that he doesn't even know what the policies are at his facility regarding late nights. In fact, Malone, as superintendent would have to approve of any decisions regarding grievances, but denied ever seeing the grievances regarding the late nights.
There was an inmate that died from a drug overdose, which stemmed from the consequences of the facility being short staffed.
There have also been audits that have shown the HOC to be in terrible shape regarding security, morale, and overall policy.
Things were bad enough that County Executive Scott Walker had threatened to fire Malone if things didn't turn around in a few months.
Now, in the last day, we see that there has been an ongoing investigation into reports that ranking officers were sexually harassing female employees. From what I understand, the report does not cover the whole story, and that there are people being investigated who go above and beyond just the two lieutenants, and that the investigations have been going on for at least a couple of months. One would think that complaints this expansive and serious in nature, involving some of his higher ranked employees would have caught his attention. One might think that, but that doesn't appear to be the case:
Meantime, House of Correction Superintendent Ron Malone would not go on camera Wednesday night but tells TMJ4 he takes this very seriously.Malone is either trying, and failing, to cover up a whole mess of problems that he is fully aware of, or he is just plainly incompetent and/or obtuse to what is going on in his facility. Either way, he hasn't shown that he is deserving of the role as superintendent.
He couldn't tell us without going back through the records, if there is an investigation.
He does, however plan to take a closer look at this Thursday and promised to follow up.
Fortunately, some of the members of the county board have enough sense to put a halt to rubber stamping his re-appointment as superintendent, and have referred his appointment to be sent back to committee for further review. Hopefully, they will get it right this time and not agree to his re-appointment to this position.
I won't even rip on Scott Walker for this one either. I doubt if he was aware of the investigations. He's been too busy
Tuesday, June 03, 2008
Is Walker Planning On Budgeting For All The Lawsuits?
by capper
Yesterday, I spoke of Scott Walker's tough talk on the 2009 budget. He wants to cut back on just about everything. He probably needs to save up all that money to pay for the lawsuit settlements that he caused.
Way back in October 2007, I wrote about Freddie Dudley, who supposedly escaped from the Community Correctional Center. At that time, I questioned Walker's motives in moving so fast against the officers. I repeated these concerns in December, when a corrections manager fired by Walker, won her case against the firing. Then I raised more concerns just this past month, when it turned out Dudley wasn't the killer after all.
Today, JSOnline reports (emphasis mine):
I've worked with all of these officers. I know them all. I've also kept in touch with friends that still work at the House of Corrections. I've learned that one of the fired officers lost his home. He also lost the custody of his children, as he didn't have a home. He also had a hard time finding a job because of the bad rap he was given by Walker's bogus charges.
Oh, sure, these officers will get their jobs back, with back pay for the past seven months. But how does one get his house back? Get his family back? Walker won't have to pay for any of the punitive damages that might stem from the probable lawsuits that will follow. We, the taxpayers, will get to foot that bill.
But Walker could at least apologize to the officers. And to us. But I won't hold my breath. He's probably hoping people will forget this by 2010.
UPDATE: In the full article in Wednesday's paper, not only does Walker not apologize, he claims he's looking for other way's to punish the officers for doing their jobs the way they were trained to. What a clown!
(And I will accept mea culpas from those who doubted me.)
Yesterday, I spoke of Scott Walker's tough talk on the 2009 budget. He wants to cut back on just about everything. He probably needs to save up all that money to pay for the lawsuit settlements that he caused.
Way back in October 2007, I wrote about Freddie Dudley, who supposedly escaped from the Community Correctional Center. At that time, I questioned Walker's motives in moving so fast against the officers. I repeated these concerns in December, when a corrections manager fired by Walker, won her case against the firing. Then I raised more concerns just this past month, when it turned out Dudley wasn't the killer after all.
Today, JSOnline reports (emphasis mine):
Officers in 'escape' case to keep jobs
Three more Milwaukee County House of Correction officers blamed for an inmate escape that never happened had their proposed firings withdrawn today by the county.
The officers - Steven Stahl, 38; Raffael Nash, 40; and Allamont Perine, 38 - had each been accused of improperly counting inmates at the county work-release center and allowing an inmate to escape. Disciplinary charges against the three said they had counted inmate sign-in cards rather than the inmates themselves.
The county Personnel Review Board was told today the charges against Stahl, Nash and Perine were being withdrawn. No reason was given. The three will be reinstated with back pay. They have been suspended without pay since disciplinary charges were issued seven months ago.
The charges were issued two months after inmate Freddie Dudley confessed to a Sept. 20 homicide. Dudley initially told prosecutors he had a friend sign in under his name at the work-release center at 1004 N. 10th St. last Sept. 19 and that Dudley shot a man later that night on the city's west side. The center, a satellite of the House of Correction, is a non-secure facility in which inmates check themselves in and out for work and other appointments. They are required to spend nights there.
The killing prompted a public outcry, and County Executive Scott Walker said any officers to blame should be punished harshly.
Dudley recanted his confession and prosecutors dropped reckless homicide charge against him last month, saying Dudley copped to the killing "to gain sympathy from his wife." Two others have been charged in that killing.
Darlene Jones-Grams, the former manager of the work-release center, also was suspended without pay over the Dudley case. Her proposed firing was overturned by the personnel board in December.
I've worked with all of these officers. I know them all. I've also kept in touch with friends that still work at the House of Corrections. I've learned that one of the fired officers lost his home. He also lost the custody of his children, as he didn't have a home. He also had a hard time finding a job because of the bad rap he was given by Walker's bogus charges.
Oh, sure, these officers will get their jobs back, with back pay for the past seven months. But how does one get his house back? Get his family back? Walker won't have to pay for any of the punitive damages that might stem from the probable lawsuits that will follow. We, the taxpayers, will get to foot that bill.
But Walker could at least apologize to the officers. And to us. But I won't hold my breath. He's probably hoping people will forget this by 2010.
UPDATE: In the full article in Wednesday's paper, not only does Walker not apologize, he claims he's looking for other way's to punish the officers for doing their jobs the way they were trained to. What a clown!
(And I will accept mea culpas from those who doubted me.)
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
Here We Go Again
by capper
Shortly after the 2002 election for County Executive, Scott Walker announced that there was a large deficit in the budget for the Parks Department. He pinned the blame on then Parks Director Sue Baldwin, even though he knew about the deficit as early as six months previously.
We are now just past seeing Walker being re-elected as County Executive, and there are new stories of bumbling.
As I wrote about last October, an inmate named Freddie Dudley allegedly was AWOL from the Community Correctional Center (part of the House of Corrections), when he said he shot a person on the far north side. At that time, Walker fired four officers (one of which was cleared and allowed back to work). I questioned Walker's motives and the wisdom of the actions he was taking.
Now it turns out that Dudley didn't kill anyone, and there are even questions if he was even AWOL from the correctional center. There is a call from the union to have the other three officers reinstated with back pay:
Ironic that Walker mentions follows rules, when he doesn't. From another article in this morning's news, this about the County's failure to follow through on the law to become greener:
Nothing like getting a jump on something you know is coming, so that you can be in adherence of the law you signed, eh, Scott?
Shortly after the 2002 election for County Executive, Scott Walker announced that there was a large deficit in the budget for the Parks Department. He pinned the blame on then Parks Director Sue Baldwin, even though he knew about the deficit as early as six months previously.
We are now just past seeing Walker being re-elected as County Executive, and there are new stories of bumbling.
As I wrote about last October, an inmate named Freddie Dudley allegedly was AWOL from the Community Correctional Center (part of the House of Corrections), when he said he shot a person on the far north side. At that time, Walker fired four officers (one of which was cleared and allowed back to work). I questioned Walker's motives and the wisdom of the actions he was taking.
Now it turns out that Dudley didn't kill anyone, and there are even questions if he was even AWOL from the correctional center. There is a call from the union to have the other three officers reinstated with back pay:
Three correctional officers recommended for firing over Dudley's purported walk-away from the work-release center should be immediately reinstated with back pay, said Kevin Schoofs, president of the correctional workers union.
Raffael Nash, Allamont Perine and Steven Stahl were suspended in October and recommended for firing because they failed to properly count Dudley and other inmates, according to disciplinary charges.
Those officers were political scapegoats for County Executive Scott Walker and top House of Correction officials, Schoofs said. Walker called for harsh discipline of any officers found at fault, after the Dudley homicide charges were issued.
The former manager of the work-release center also was recommended for firing in connection with the Dudley case, but that discipline was overturned by the county's Personnel Review Board.
As the right is fond of saying, where do these good officers go to get their good names back?
The three officers have been scheduled for a review in June. This was reported last year, when they were fired. Walker spins it in a way to save himself face:Monday, Walker said there should be a review of the disciplinary charges against Nash, Perine and Stahl in light of the new evidence about Dudley.
If it turns out the three failed to follow work rules properly, the discipline should stand, Walker said.
Ironic that Walker mentions follows rules, when he doesn't. From another article in this morning's news, this about the County's failure to follow through on the law to become greener:
Swift consideration should be given for potential alternative energy applications for county facilities, such as the latest technology for solar panels for heating buildings, Weishan said.
He also faulted County Executive Scott Walker for foot-dragging on hiring a director of sustainability and environmental services, which was called for in last year's "green print" mandate. That person should have been hired months ago, he said.
Walker said the money for the position was approved in the 2008 budget, but not pegged to start until April 1. A job description is now being developed and should be ready to be advertised soon, he said. The job will pay about $108,000 a year.
Nothing like getting a jump on something you know is coming, so that you can be in adherence of the law you signed, eh, Scott?
Monday, March 10, 2008
The Milwaukee County House (In Need) Of Corrections
by capper
Last August, a full seven months ago, I wrote about the House of Correction, and the troubles that were occurring there. Most of these problems stemmed from the simple fact that HOC was overfull with inmates and that there was a severe shortage of correction officers. This caused a lot of burn out, and mistakes were made, repeatedly. Correction Officers were getting so desperate for time off, that they would use and abuse the sick leave and Family Medical Leave Policies. They would also openly defy superior officers in order to get suspended. They eventually went, as a group, to the County Board. Most of the County Board Supervisors weren't aware of what was going on, and were moved to tears to hear of the officer's desperation.
Yet Walker was in complete denial about it.
Now the Journal Sentinel is reporting that a county audit shows--gasp--that there were a lot of problems due to too many inmates and not enough guards. This comes on the heels of a federal audit showing a laundry list chock full of problems, most of them dealing with insufficient staffing patterns and not enough resources.
The county audit shows that HOC was originally supposed to have been authorized for 349 guards in Walker's 2007 budget. He then remembered his one trick pony act, and decided to cut $1.5 million dollars from their budget. HOC ended up with only 318 correction officers. Due to this deficit in the work force, officers were forced to work up to 800+ hours of overtime, each, that year. A full 75% of that was forced overtime.
The cost for all that overtime was $4.2 million. That means for every dollar that Walker tried to save the tax payer, that same taxpayer ended up paying three times as much. How is that being fiscally responsible?
The audit goes on to recommend that the County hire on an additional 23 officers. This would cost $1.3 million, but would have more than half off set by the savings in overtime benefits.
Walker's response is not to hire all of the staff needed. Gotta save that money, you know. Well, not really. He is considering giving them a pay raise. (On a side note, while this is a good thing, odds are that Milwaukee County Corrections Officers pay will be still be way behind that of other counties across the state.)
So Walker tries to find ways to sweep this under the rug, and again avoid responsibility for a mess he has created, I would point out that not only does Senator Taylor have experience as a successful businessperson, she is the Chairperson for the State Senate's Committee on Judiciary, Corrections, and Housing. She has the experience, the knowledge, the education, and the willingness to fix what Walker has wrecked. For more information, please go to her website.
SIDENOTE: Some Walker apologists have started to say that MSJ is anti-Walker. This is laughable. MSJ recommend Walker in 2004. But if that is not sufficient evidence, compare the articles that appeared on Monday's Newswatch and the article that appears in Tuesday's paper.
Especially the headline of Tuesday's article, which reads:
Not only does it not mention the staff shortage, but the lockup that is supposedly criticized doesn't even appear until the second from last paragraph. Nope. No bias here in favor of Walker. Give me a break.
Last August, a full seven months ago, I wrote about the House of Correction, and the troubles that were occurring there. Most of these problems stemmed from the simple fact that HOC was overfull with inmates and that there was a severe shortage of correction officers. This caused a lot of burn out, and mistakes were made, repeatedly. Correction Officers were getting so desperate for time off, that they would use and abuse the sick leave and Family Medical Leave Policies. They would also openly defy superior officers in order to get suspended. They eventually went, as a group, to the County Board. Most of the County Board Supervisors weren't aware of what was going on, and were moved to tears to hear of the officer's desperation.
Yet Walker was in complete denial about it.
Now the Journal Sentinel is reporting that a county audit shows--gasp--that there were a lot of problems due to too many inmates and not enough guards. This comes on the heels of a federal audit showing a laundry list chock full of problems, most of them dealing with insufficient staffing patterns and not enough resources.
The county audit shows that HOC was originally supposed to have been authorized for 349 guards in Walker's 2007 budget. He then remembered his one trick pony act, and decided to cut $1.5 million dollars from their budget. HOC ended up with only 318 correction officers. Due to this deficit in the work force, officers were forced to work up to 800+ hours of overtime, each, that year. A full 75% of that was forced overtime.
The cost for all that overtime was $4.2 million. That means for every dollar that Walker tried to save the tax payer, that same taxpayer ended up paying three times as much. How is that being fiscally responsible?
The audit goes on to recommend that the County hire on an additional 23 officers. This would cost $1.3 million, but would have more than half off set by the savings in overtime benefits.
Walker's response is not to hire all of the staff needed. Gotta save that money, you know. Well, not really. He is considering giving them a pay raise. (On a side note, while this is a good thing, odds are that Milwaukee County Corrections Officers pay will be still be way behind that of other counties across the state.)
So Walker tries to find ways to sweep this under the rug, and again avoid responsibility for a mess he has created, I would point out that not only does Senator Taylor have experience as a successful businessperson, she is the Chairperson for the State Senate's Committee on Judiciary, Corrections, and Housing. She has the experience, the knowledge, the education, and the willingness to fix what Walker has wrecked. For more information, please go to her website.
SIDENOTE: Some Walker apologists have started to say that MSJ is anti-Walker. This is laughable. MSJ recommend Walker in 2004. But if that is not sufficient evidence, compare the articles that appeared on Monday's Newswatch and the article that appears in Tuesday's paper.
Especially the headline of Tuesday's article, which reads:
Lockup criticized for forced overtime
Audit finds House of Correction staff exhausted
Not only does it not mention the staff shortage, but the lockup that is supposedly criticized doesn't even appear until the second from last paragraph. Nope. No bias here in favor of Walker. Give me a break.
Friday, January 25, 2008
Will You Believe Me Now?
by capper
A MUCH OVERDUE UPDATE: Gretchen Schuldt has also posted her views on this matter. It is, as usual, much better written and more concise than my post. (Sorry for the delay, Gretchen.)
Sometimes, I get the feeling that outside of three or four people, as soon as they see my name at the top, they pass over what I write. Other times, not so much.
I know that I've been hitting Walker fast and often, especially in regards to the House of Correction and the myriad of problems that have been occurring there for the past year or so. Maybe I've been overdoing it, but I felt it was a strong concern for the county and the community, so I kept at it. And I am not the only one to have strong concerns about the correctional system in its current condition. Zachary has also been adding his valuable insight to the problems, having had the same work experience there as I did.
Even then, some curmudgeons, like Dad29, would dismiss us as a couple of whiny liberals.
Well, would you believe the feds? In this morning's MSJ, there is an article that outlines a federal report about the conditions of the House of Corrections and the Community Correctional Center. It is, in its entirety, a pretty damning report. Some of the highlights:
The report also throws a harsh light on Walker's ill-advised plan to close the CCC and put the inmates on a GPS monitoring system. The report says that there has been no planning at all for this. Sort of like Bush and his fiasco in Iraq, and we've all seen how well that has worked out for him.
Walker's response to this? He tells HOC Superintendent Ron Malone to fix everything in 90 days or be fired. What a guy. He creates a disaster of epic proportions and tells his underling to clean it up or be fired. That should be the textbook example of poor leadership.
The MSJ article goes on to say that the County Board is finally getting around to do what should have been done months ago, and what Walker still hasn't figured out, or is trying to cover up. They are calling for Malone and Sheriff David Clarke to submit reports with the facts on how all of these things keep happening, comparing our lock ups to those of other similar communities, and how to fix the problems we are having.
To his credit, Malone has expressed a ready willingness to cooperate. Clarke is still trying to figure out if his over-sized ego will let him take a realistic look at his office and its operations.
A MUCH OVERDUE UPDATE: Gretchen Schuldt has also posted her views on this matter. It is, as usual, much better written and more concise than my post. (Sorry for the delay, Gretchen.)
Sometimes, I get the feeling that outside of three or four people, as soon as they see my name at the top, they pass over what I write. Other times, not so much.
I know that I've been hitting Walker fast and often, especially in regards to the House of Correction and the myriad of problems that have been occurring there for the past year or so. Maybe I've been overdoing it, but I felt it was a strong concern for the county and the community, so I kept at it. And I am not the only one to have strong concerns about the correctional system in its current condition. Zachary has also been adding his valuable insight to the problems, having had the same work experience there as I did.
Even then, some curmudgeons, like Dad29, would dismiss us as a couple of whiny liberals.
Well, would you believe the feds? In this morning's MSJ, there is an article that outlines a federal report about the conditions of the House of Corrections and the Community Correctional Center. It is, in its entirety, a pretty damning report. Some of the highlights:
Among his key findings:
• Security at the House of Correction "is very bad. The problems are many and they are widespread and deep." However, administrators were oblivious to "glaring security weaknesses." The report excludes specifics to avoid contributing to security breaches at the House, but those details were issued in a confidential side letter to Malone.
• An Aug. 3 inmate escape through a supply closet window was blamed on "chronic failures" and the fault of supervisors rather than correctional officers. The escapee spent over three weeks working to break through a security screen on a window in the closet, creating noise that was ignored. Other inmates tried to warn staff of the impending escape effort, but those warnings were not acted on.
• "Exceptionally deficient" fire safety was listed as the worst problem, and that problem was more pronounced at the work-release center. The aging building at 1004 N. 10th St., with up to 400 inmates on five floors, could quickly go up in flames with stairwells likely engulfed in heat and smoke before upper-floor residents could evacuate. The alarm system there has been broken for years.
• The House lacks tactical capacity to deal with a hostage situation or other crisis.
• The armory at the House was "dirty and badly disorganized." Drawers contained parts as well as years-old unopened equipment still in boxes. The lack of "intermediate force" weapons, such as gas grenades and rubber bullets, leaves the institution without adequate means of dealing with a large inmate disturbance. It has since been cleaned.
The report also throws a harsh light on Walker's ill-advised plan to close the CCC and put the inmates on a GPS monitoring system. The report says that there has been no planning at all for this. Sort of like Bush and his fiasco in Iraq, and we've all seen how well that has worked out for him.
Walker's response to this? He tells HOC Superintendent Ron Malone to fix everything in 90 days or be fired. What a guy. He creates a disaster of epic proportions and tells his underling to clean it up or be fired. That should be the textbook example of poor leadership.
The MSJ article goes on to say that the County Board is finally getting around to do what should have been done months ago, and what Walker still hasn't figured out, or is trying to cover up. They are calling for Malone and Sheriff David Clarke to submit reports with the facts on how all of these things keep happening, comparing our lock ups to those of other similar communities, and how to fix the problems we are having.
To his credit, Malone has expressed a ready willingness to cooperate. Clarke is still trying to figure out if his over-sized ego will let him take a realistic look at his office and its operations.
Thursday, January 24, 2008
Walker's Catch And Release Program
by capper
Walker has been really pushing his plan for closing the Community Correctional Center and putting the inmates housed there on GPS monitors. In fact, the last time he pushed for something this much, it was the first time he tried to do the pension loan program, which turned out would have been a sweetheart deal for a financial and political backer, Nick Hurtgen, who worked for Bear Stearns and who has since been indicted in federal court for kickback schemes.
Anyway, Walker really, really wants this GPS thing to go through. However, it might not go as easy as he would hope. His first obstacle will be Sheriff David Clarke. In today's MSJ, there is an article in which Clarke expresses some of his concerns about the feasibility of this program:
These are all valid concerns and do need be addressed before the County bulls its way along with this program. It also echoes some of my earlier concerns.
I would also like to know how this lame-brain scheme falls into Walker's campaign theme of Safety, Affordability and Pride. His plan would cost more, make people in the community less safe, and doesn't really give us any bragging rights. (What? Is he thinking, "Come to Milwaukee and see our criminals up close and personal. But don't worry, they're wearing bracelets."?)
Meanwhile, County Board Chairman wants to have psychological evaluations for all the inmates before they are put on the GPS system. This is so unrealistic, due to time issues, manpower and costs that it is not even worth discussing.
It is rather scary to think that of all of the current County leaders, Clarke is currently making the most sense. That should make more people want to consider supporting Senator Lena Taylor, so that we can get out of this chaos.
Walker has been really pushing his plan for closing the Community Correctional Center and putting the inmates housed there on GPS monitors. In fact, the last time he pushed for something this much, it was the first time he tried to do the pension loan program, which turned out would have been a sweetheart deal for a financial and political backer, Nick Hurtgen, who worked for Bear Stearns and who has since been indicted in federal court for kickback schemes.
Anyway, Walker really, really wants this GPS thing to go through. However, it might not go as easy as he would hope. His first obstacle will be Sheriff David Clarke. In today's MSJ, there is an article in which Clarke expresses some of his concerns about the feasibility of this program:
Clarke said in an interview that serious unanswered questions about the GPS system remain. To be done properly, inmates considered for GPS monitoring should be carefully pre-screened, he said. All violent and drug offenders should be excluded, Clarke said.
A successful monitoring program also should have frequent drug testing, he said. And the program needs extra law enforcement help to round up inmates who set off alarms for straying from approved travel routes to school or jobs.
All those things cost money that hasn't been found yet, Clarke said.
Many of the inmates now housed at the work-release center would likely not make good candidates for the GPS monitoring, he said. The county already has a policy of excluding inmates sentenced for drugs, assaults, burglary or illegal possession of a gun from a different type of electronic monitoring now in use.
Abruptly shutting down the work-release center could create crowding problems if many inmates were placed at the House of Correction, rather than released on GPS monitors. Clarke suggested adding beds at the House of Correction to accommodate them.
*************************
Clarke said even with around-the-clock electronic monitoring, the inmates still could be dealing drugs or involved in other illegal activity without setting off an alarm. That's partly why he hasn't used it for jail inmates awaiting trial, Clarke said.
These are all valid concerns and do need be addressed before the County bulls its way along with this program. It also echoes some of my earlier concerns.
I would also like to know how this lame-brain scheme falls into Walker's campaign theme of Safety, Affordability and Pride. His plan would cost more, make people in the community less safe, and doesn't really give us any bragging rights. (What? Is he thinking, "Come to Milwaukee and see our criminals up close and personal. But don't worry, they're wearing bracelets."?)
Meanwhile, County Board Chairman wants to have psychological evaluations for all the inmates before they are put on the GPS system. This is so unrealistic, due to time issues, manpower and costs that it is not even worth discussing.
It is rather scary to think that of all of the current County leaders, Clarke is currently making the most sense. That should make more people want to consider supporting Senator Lena Taylor, so that we can get out of this chaos.
Wednesday, December 12, 2007
What's The Story Of These Two Stories? Part III
I've already written about the problems that have been going on at the Milwaukee County House of Correction, the Community Correctional Center, and the reporting of these stories. Now, it goes from bad to worse.
In another article by Steve Schultze, we find that Corrections Manager Jones-Grams, successfully beat the charges against her and will be reinstated to her position. The charges against her, in a scapegoat maneuver by Scott Walker, Tosa Ranger, was that she "had allowed 'work-release inmates to freely come and go.'"
The review board, which is hand-picked and appointed by Walker, couldn't help but find that these charges could not be proven. Why? Well, the article gives three good reasons:
So, we find that despite a long history of problems of inmates escaping from the CCC, we have Walker cutting the funding so that it is even easier for inmates to take off and be on the loose to commit more crimes. He also blames officers for not doing their jobs, when he won't allow them the equipment or supplies that they would need to do those jobs. To add to this mess, there is all the overtime that has to be paid for the coverage needed to take the place of these officers while they are waiting for their hearings and for their jobs back, the cost of the hearings, and all the other administrative expenses for Walker's red herring hearings.
How exactly does this fit into Walker's "Safe. Affordable. Pride." campaign slogan? We won't know, based on the article:
And speaking of the article, it would have been nice if Mr. Schultze had told us why Ms. Jones-Grams, who was fired last, got her hearing right away, while the three front line officers have to wait another six months until they get their hearings.
In another article by Steve Schultze, we find that Corrections Manager Jones-Grams, successfully beat the charges against her and will be reinstated to her position. The charges against her, in a scapegoat maneuver by Scott Walker, Tosa Ranger, was that she "had allowed 'work-release inmates to freely come and go.'"
The review board, which is hand-picked and appointed by Walker, couldn't help but find that these charges could not be proven. Why? Well, the article gives three good reasons:
One thing the case has made clear: Inmates at the work-release center are not locked in. There are no cells and no locks on the dorm-like rooms inmates share at the center, a converted hospital at 1004 N. 10th St. Exit doors leading from each floor of the five-story building also are unlocked, because of fire regulations.and
Testimony in the Jones-Grams case and a state audit this year also revealed that video security cameras at the center weren't recording anything and that supplies for printing inmate photos often were not available. That meant that inmate cards used to verify the identity of inmates often lacked photos.and
Testimony from current and former county correction officials in the Jones-Grams case revealed that the center has had an average of three escapes a week since the late 1990s. Inmates gone more than 24 hours are written up as having escaped, with a referral made for an arrest warrant.
So, we find that despite a long history of problems of inmates escaping from the CCC, we have Walker cutting the funding so that it is even easier for inmates to take off and be on the loose to commit more crimes. He also blames officers for not doing their jobs, when he won't allow them the equipment or supplies that they would need to do those jobs. To add to this mess, there is all the overtime that has to be paid for the coverage needed to take the place of these officers while they are waiting for their hearings and for their jobs back, the cost of the hearings, and all the other administrative expenses for Walker's red herring hearings.
How exactly does this fit into Walker's "Safe. Affordable. Pride." campaign slogan? We won't know, based on the article:
Nola Cross, Jones-Grams' lawyer, said Jones-Grams was a political scapegoat.
Walker declined to comment.
And speaking of the article, it would have been nice if Mr. Schultze had told us why Ms. Jones-Grams, who was fired last, got her hearing right away, while the three front line officers have to wait another six months until they get their hearings.
Tuesday, December 04, 2007
Be Careful Of Your Sources
by capper
In an column written by Eugene Kane, he discusses the late night hours which recently ended at the House Of Corrections. In his article, he has some quotes from Richard Cox, the former superintendent of the HOC. From my understanding, Mr. Cox was a well-respected administrator at HOC and a lot of officers were sad to see him leave that position. However, Mr. Cox has been out of the system for the better part of a decade, and it would seem that a lot of things have changed since then.
An example would be that Mr. Cox is quoted as saying there is only 29 individual cells. That is not accurate. There are about three times that number of individual cells. The column also has this:
Perhaps it is due to the length of time of Mr. Cox's absence from HOC, or the probably longer time since he actually worked a dorm, but the nature of the inmates have changed over the past ten years. They are younger, meaner and more prone to bad decisions. The change in late nights helps the beleaguered officers maintain better control of their dorms and increases safety for the inmates and officers alike.
In a similar fashion, MSJ also has a story about Jack L. Hohrein, the Milwaukee County retirement manager. Mr. Hohrein has filed for the race for County Executive, and states that he feels that County Executive Scott Walker has gone as far as interfering with a criminal investigation by putting the brakes on an independent investigation of the latest pension scandal.
When I first heard this story, I followed up on it eagerly. As anyone who has read most of my postings knows, I am know fan of Scott Walker, and I wondered what kind of stunt Walker was trying to pull now.
However, at this time, I am not going to cover this story, outside of this post. Not because I suddenly like the Tosa Ranger, but because I cannot trust the source of the information. While Mr. Hohrein may be telling the truth, or at least believes he is, he is not a credible source at this time.
The article goes on and informs us that Mr. Hohrein is currently on paid suspension, pending the outcome of an investigation into a complaint of harassment. He also states that he "expects to be fired for speaking out" and that he feels he was only suspended due to comments he made about the investigation. This makes his motivation suspect and makes one wonder if he is coming out with this as an attempt to cover his problems and protect his position with the county.
Like I said earlier, he may be very well telling the truth, but without collaborating evidence, I cannot find him a credible source of information, and will only take his allegations about a cover-up with a grain of salt. But I will continue to follow this story just in case that grain of salt turns into a kernel of truth.
In an column written by Eugene Kane, he discusses the late night hours which recently ended at the House Of Corrections. In his article, he has some quotes from Richard Cox, the former superintendent of the HOC. From my understanding, Mr. Cox was a well-respected administrator at HOC and a lot of officers were sad to see him leave that position. However, Mr. Cox has been out of the system for the better part of a decade, and it would seem that a lot of things have changed since then.
An example would be that Mr. Cox is quoted as saying there is only 29 individual cells. That is not accurate. There are about three times that number of individual cells. The column also has this:
"It's a dormitory-style facility," Cox said. When the lights go out, he said, it doesn't make a difference if the inmates are in their beds or congregating among themselves.I can personally testify that is not true. I have spoken to a friend that still works at HOC and he said that there is a greatly noticeable difference since the late nights have stopped. There are less fights and less disturbances. The inmates that are less prone to want to stay up are also calmer because now they can sleep at night.
Perhaps it is due to the length of time of Mr. Cox's absence from HOC, or the probably longer time since he actually worked a dorm, but the nature of the inmates have changed over the past ten years. They are younger, meaner and more prone to bad decisions. The change in late nights helps the beleaguered officers maintain better control of their dorms and increases safety for the inmates and officers alike.
In a similar fashion, MSJ also has a story about Jack L. Hohrein, the Milwaukee County retirement manager. Mr. Hohrein has filed for the race for County Executive, and states that he feels that County Executive Scott Walker has gone as far as interfering with a criminal investigation by putting the brakes on an independent investigation of the latest pension scandal.
When I first heard this story, I followed up on it eagerly. As anyone who has read most of my postings knows, I am know fan of Scott Walker, and I wondered what kind of stunt Walker was trying to pull now.
However, at this time, I am not going to cover this story, outside of this post. Not because I suddenly like the Tosa Ranger, but because I cannot trust the source of the information. While Mr. Hohrein may be telling the truth, or at least believes he is, he is not a credible source at this time.
The article goes on and informs us that Mr. Hohrein is currently on paid suspension, pending the outcome of an investigation into a complaint of harassment. He also states that he "expects to be fired for speaking out" and that he feels he was only suspended due to comments he made about the investigation. This makes his motivation suspect and makes one wonder if he is coming out with this as an attempt to cover his problems and protect his position with the county.
Like I said earlier, he may be very well telling the truth, but without collaborating evidence, I cannot find him a credible source of information, and will only take his allegations about a cover-up with a grain of salt. But I will continue to follow this story just in case that grain of salt turns into a kernel of truth.
Sunday, December 02, 2007
Yet Another Problem At The House Of Correction
by capper
Friday's paper had an article about an inmate that was found dead at the Milwaukee County House of Correction on Thanksgiving Day morning. This adds to the compounding trouble that has been occurring at the House of Correction and Community Correctional Center for the past several months.
This time the story is of an inmate, with a history of drug abuse issues, apparently taking an overdose of prescribed medication. As I have stated before, there is a systematic problem with the correctional system in Milwaukee County. There is poor leadership among top administrators that don't know what's is going on in their own departments. There is also a crisis of overcrowded prisoners and a severe shortage of correctional officers.
Instead of actually dealing with the root of these problems, County Executive Scott Walker originally chose to scapegoat some officers, blaming them for the errors in the system. He did this despite the fact that these problems had been called to that attention of administrators, who, in turn, dismissed those concerns. Based on Friday's article, Walker will have a hard time to do his scapegoating again (emphasis mine):
The article also asks for comments from HOC administrators. Ron Malone, superintendent of HOC, who didn't even have a clue about the late night issues at HOC, then lied about them, had this reported about him and the inquest:
Thanks for the insight, Mr. Malone, that was very helpful. Of course, Walker had nothing to say either. He can't be bothered to actually do his job, he has a campaign to run.
Friday's paper had an article about an inmate that was found dead at the Milwaukee County House of Correction on Thanksgiving Day morning. This adds to the compounding trouble that has been occurring at the House of Correction and Community Correctional Center for the past several months.
This time the story is of an inmate, with a history of drug abuse issues, apparently taking an overdose of prescribed medication. As I have stated before, there is a systematic problem with the correctional system in Milwaukee County. There is poor leadership among top administrators that don't know what's is going on in their own departments. There is also a crisis of overcrowded prisoners and a severe shortage of correctional officers.
Instead of actually dealing with the root of these problems, County Executive Scott Walker originally chose to scapegoat some officers, blaming them for the errors in the system. He did this despite the fact that these problems had been called to that attention of administrators, who, in turn, dismissed those concerns. Based on Friday's article, Walker will have a hard time to do his scapegoating again (emphasis mine):
District Attorney John Chisholm said the death was being investigated as likely related to prescription drugs. He said his initial review had not turned up evidence of wrongdoing on the part of correctional officers. Prosecutors want to find out how enough drugs to kill Orlowski could have been hoarded and who supplied him with prescription pills, Chisholm said.
The article also asks for comments from HOC administrators. Ron Malone, superintendent of HOC, who didn't even have a clue about the late night issues at HOC, then lied about them, had this reported about him and the inquest:
Ron Malone, superintendent of the House of Correction, declined to comment.
Thanks for the insight, Mr. Malone, that was very helpful. Of course, Walker had nothing to say either. He can't be bothered to actually do his job, he has a campaign to run.
Tuesday, November 27, 2007
Who's Running This Joint?
by capper
Last week, I wrote about a couple of stories that appeared in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel which dealt with the House of Correction and the Community Correctional Center. This morning we see a third story. Predictably, the powers that be chose to eliminate the late night hours that were traditionally allowed to inmates at HOC and CCC. This was a move long overdue.
But the odd thing in this story is the way the management is handling the issue. It's like watching an old Three Stooges or Abbott and Costello routine. First, we have the official position from last week:
Apparently someone was not happy with Brisco's statements. He's not talking, but not we have acting Assistant Superintendent Jeffrey Mayer:
And let us not forget Superintendent Ron Malone, who, as previously reported didn't even know what the policy at HOC was. He chimes in with:
Well, this is news to a lot of people. From today's article
and
Something tells me some heads are going to roll. We already know that Walker doesn't like to look bad, and will take any scapegoat he can get. Ironically, during all this, Walker did not have anything to say. He had a spokesperson say he agrees with the plan, but otherwise is suspiciously quiet. (And no, I don't expect Walker to micromanage every department in the County, but after a series of articles, I would expect some sort of statement.)
I guess he is to busy trying to figure out how to spin the fact that he is about to break his promise not to run for another term as County Executive, by announcing his campaign kick-off, maybe as soon as this week.
Last week, I wrote about a couple of stories that appeared in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel which dealt with the House of Correction and the Community Correctional Center. This morning we see a third story. Predictably, the powers that be chose to eliminate the late night hours that were traditionally allowed to inmates at HOC and CCC. This was a move long overdue.
But the odd thing in this story is the way the management is handling the issue. It's like watching an old Three Stooges or Abbott and Costello routine. First, we have the official position from last week:
Assistant Superintendent Willie Brisco said last week that the late hours worked as a good management tool for corrections officers, who could revoke the privilege for rule violations.
Apparently someone was not happy with Brisco's statements. He's not talking, but not we have acting Assistant Superintendent Jeffrey Mayer:
Canceling the late inmate hours will help avoid the possibility of fights breaking out, said Jeffrey Mayer, acting assistant superintendent. And if that happened, staffing could be compromised, he said.
And let us not forget Superintendent Ron Malone, who, as previously reported didn't even know what the policy at HOC was. He chimes in with:
On Monday, Malone said the change was made in part because of the article but also had been under consideration and would likely have been made by January in any case.
He decided to put the change into effect immediately, even though advance notice of work changes normally are given, Malone said.
"After the publicity of it, I just said, 'Let's do it,' " Malone said. "It had come up before. It was something we were already looking at," he said.:
Well, this is news to a lot of people. From today's article
The practice was subject of a grievance in summer by correctional officers, who complained the late-night socializing by inmates jeopardized officers' safety. But officials rejected the complaint.
and
Kevin Schoofs, president of the correctional officers union, said Monday that the change was welcome but overdue. He said he had not been given any inkling that Malone was considering doing away with the late-night hours for inmates. In fact, Malone told him he was adamantly opposed to changing the policy during a recent meeting with the union, Schoofs said.
Something tells me some heads are going to roll. We already know that Walker doesn't like to look bad, and will take any scapegoat he can get. Ironically, during all this, Walker did not have anything to say. He had a spokesperson say he agrees with the plan, but otherwise is suspiciously quiet. (And no, I don't expect Walker to micromanage every department in the County, but after a series of articles, I would expect some sort of statement.)
I guess he is to busy trying to figure out how to spin the fact that he is about to break his promise not to run for another term as County Executive, by announcing his campaign kick-off, maybe as soon as this week.
Thursday, November 22, 2007
What's The Story Of These Two Stories? Part II
by capper
As I pointed out in my previous post, there are two stories in this morning's paper that piqued my interest. In the other post, I spoke of some seeming inconsistencies in the articles. Now, I would like to point out the ramifications of the articles.
I have already commented on then three, now four, correctional officers that have been targeted by Scott Walker as scapegoats for an escaped inmate who killed someone. The officers that have been charged have defended themselves by stating that there was no incompetence or lack of discipline, but they were following established protocol and are working under severe conditions due to the extreme understaffing at HOC and CCC. It should also be noted that the union has also raised concerns about the conditions at CCC, but these concerns were always ignored. Walker dismissed these reasons and the officers are suspended without pay until they go before a panel of Walker appointees, who will most likely fire them arbitrarily.
As a disclaimer, I would point out that I personally knew and worked with three of the four officers that have been suspended so far. I believe them to be honest and dedicated officers.
Now for the two articles from today's paper.
One deals with another inmate that escaped from CCC and was arrested by a sheriff's deputy. Milwaukee County Sheriff Clarke criticized CCC and HOC for allowing this inmate to have work release privileges in the first place, given his felony record. For the record, and I can't believe I'm saying this, but I agree with Clarke.
It would make sense that the officers that are remaining at HOC and CCC are going to be busting their butts to toe the line while they know that the public and Walker is going to be scrutinizing them more closely for a while. This is just human nature. (Oh, I know, some on the right will automatically figure it's just another case of inept county workers, but those same people tend to not to want to show a lot of thought before opening their mouths anyway.) What this would indicate is that there is something systematically wrong with the program to have these many escapes.
The second article discusses the fact that inmates are allowed to stay up until 3:30 a.m. on holidays and weekends. It was this way when I worked there years ago, and that is when many fights would happen. I thought it was the norm across the state, until I read the article. The article points out that the state norm is much earlier, at either 10 or 11 p.m.
The article also points out that the union tried to fight this late night policy and it was rebuffed:
The same as with the situation at CCC. But there's more:
And as far as the leadership of these facilities, well, here is what the articles say about Superintendent Ron Malone, in the article about the escaped convict:
and in the late nights article:
I would hope that Scott Walker, who has been silent during these new events, will now stop doing the politically convenient, but dishonest thing. After all, even the internal investigator couldn't state that she comprehensively investigated the matter due to the arbitrary deadline put forth by Walker. I would hope that he recognizes the systematic flaws created by poor administration and understaffing, and address those issues in a responsible manner, and reinstate the fired officers that he has scapegoated, with back pay and an apology.
But I won't hold my breath for him to do it.
As I pointed out in my previous post, there are two stories in this morning's paper that piqued my interest. In the other post, I spoke of some seeming inconsistencies in the articles. Now, I would like to point out the ramifications of the articles.
I have already commented on then three, now four, correctional officers that have been targeted by Scott Walker as scapegoats for an escaped inmate who killed someone. The officers that have been charged have defended themselves by stating that there was no incompetence or lack of discipline, but they were following established protocol and are working under severe conditions due to the extreme understaffing at HOC and CCC. It should also be noted that the union has also raised concerns about the conditions at CCC, but these concerns were always ignored. Walker dismissed these reasons and the officers are suspended without pay until they go before a panel of Walker appointees, who will most likely fire them arbitrarily.
As a disclaimer, I would point out that I personally knew and worked with three of the four officers that have been suspended so far. I believe them to be honest and dedicated officers.
Now for the two articles from today's paper.
One deals with another inmate that escaped from CCC and was arrested by a sheriff's deputy. Milwaukee County Sheriff Clarke criticized CCC and HOC for allowing this inmate to have work release privileges in the first place, given his felony record. For the record, and I can't believe I'm saying this, but I agree with Clarke.
It would make sense that the officers that are remaining at HOC and CCC are going to be busting their butts to toe the line while they know that the public and Walker is going to be scrutinizing them more closely for a while. This is just human nature. (Oh, I know, some on the right will automatically figure it's just another case of inept county workers, but those same people tend to not to want to show a lot of thought before opening their mouths anyway.) What this would indicate is that there is something systematically wrong with the program to have these many escapes.
The second article discusses the fact that inmates are allowed to stay up until 3:30 a.m. on holidays and weekends. It was this way when I worked there years ago, and that is when many fights would happen. I thought it was the norm across the state, until I read the article. The article points out that the state norm is much earlier, at either 10 or 11 p.m.
The article also points out that the union tried to fight this late night policy and it was rebuffed:
(President of the correctional officers union Kevin) Schoofs filed a grievance last summer over the practice, saying House of Correction and work-release inmates should have mandatory bedtimes of no later than 10 p.m. The complaint was dismissed by the department managers, who called the late weekend and holiday hours a useful motivational tool.
The same as with the situation at CCC. But there's more:
Assistant Superintendent Willie Brisco said the late weekend hours practice goes back many years and probably has its roots in the days of the old county workhouse.County officials apparently feel that workers are not supposed to follow established practice, but they can use it for their own defense. This makes them almost hypocritical enough for Jay's Thanksgiving Parade.
And as far as the leadership of these facilities, well, here is what the articles say about Superintendent Ron Malone, in the article about the escaped convict:
Ron Malone, superintendent of the work-release center, couldn’t be reached.
and in the late nights article:
Ron Malone, superintendent of the House of Correction and the work-release center at 1004 N. 10th St., declined to comment, saying he wasn't familiar with inmate hours.So the superintendent is either missing in action or doesn't know what is going on in his own facilities? And yet they blame the workers, who are trying to do the best that they can, with what they have to work with, which isn't much.
I would hope that Scott Walker, who has been silent during these new events, will now stop doing the politically convenient, but dishonest thing. After all, even the internal investigator couldn't state that she comprehensively investigated the matter due to the arbitrary deadline put forth by Walker. I would hope that he recognizes the systematic flaws created by poor administration and understaffing, and address those issues in a responsible manner, and reinstate the fired officers that he has scapegoated, with back pay and an apology.
But I won't hold my breath for him to do it.
What's The Story Of These Two Stories? Part I
by capper
In today's MSJ, there are two articles, both written by Steve Schultze, and both dealing with the Milwaukee County House of Correction (HOC) and the Community Correctional Center (CCC) where they house the work release inmates. Both are in the main news section. One article is titled " Lights out for inmates is 3:30". This one was located on the front page and continued on the inside, on page 18. The second article is also on page 18. This article is titled "Clarke rips release plan after arrest".
Both articles caught my eye, due to the fact that I used to work there. I have also been following the story of the four corrections officers who were targeted by Scott Walker for termination. As I read both articles, I found that there were two areas of interest. One was the implications of the story, which I will cover in my next post. The other area was some of the inconsistencies in the two stories.
The main story was about how inmates at HOC and CCC are allowed to stay up until 3:30 a.m. on weekends and holidays, which apparently is unique to the state. All other correctional facilities have lights out at 10 p.m. The part I want to point out is when Mr. Schultze speaks to he superintendent of the HOC and CCC, Ron Malone:
While in the second article, which is about another escaped inmate from CCC, we see this:
Did he speak to Malone, or didn't he? Or did he speak to Malone on one occasion and tried to make contact again? If this is the case, why wasn't that point clarified?
Also in the body of the second article, we have another seeming contradiction. First, Mr. Schultze writes:
Note the verbs criticized and said. As Jay would teach us, those are action verbs, which would indicated that Clarke was present during these actions, or at least in direct contact with the reporter. But the last sentence of the same article reads:
Now, I realize Clarke probably did the original criticism through a press release. But I can't but think that it would make the article seem less self-contradictory if this was mentioned. But since it wasn't, and being right next to the first article, it would make it seem like sloppy journalism, or sloppy editing.
By no means should this critique be construed as maligning Mr. Schultze's personal or journalistic integrity, but I must point out that the inconsistencies between the two stories and in the same story, makes it more suspect to skepticism. I recognize that there may be some logical rationale on why these articles appear this way, but without knowing that rationale, one can only wonder, and be wary.
Another odd part to this whole thing is that when I went to write this post, I had to dig around in the archives to find the second story, even though it was just published today.
In today's MSJ, there are two articles, both written by Steve Schultze, and both dealing with the Milwaukee County House of Correction (HOC) and the Community Correctional Center (CCC) where they house the work release inmates. Both are in the main news section. One article is titled " Lights out for inmates is 3:30". This one was located on the front page and continued on the inside, on page 18. The second article is also on page 18. This article is titled "Clarke rips release plan after arrest".
Both articles caught my eye, due to the fact that I used to work there. I have also been following the story of the four corrections officers who were targeted by Scott Walker for termination. As I read both articles, I found that there were two areas of interest. One was the implications of the story, which I will cover in my next post. The other area was some of the inconsistencies in the two stories.
The main story was about how inmates at HOC and CCC are allowed to stay up until 3:30 a.m. on weekends and holidays, which apparently is unique to the state. All other correctional facilities have lights out at 10 p.m. The part I want to point out is when Mr. Schultze speaks to he superintendent of the HOC and CCC, Ron Malone:
Ron Malone, superintendent of the House of Correction and the work-release center at 1004 N. 10th St., declined to comment, saying he wasn't familiar with inmate hours.
While in the second article, which is about another escaped inmate from CCC, we see this:
Ron Malone, superintendent of the work-release center, couldn't be reached.
Did he speak to Malone, or didn't he? Or did he speak to Malone on one occasion and tried to make contact again? If this is the case, why wasn't that point clarified?
Also in the body of the second article, we have another seeming contradiction. First, Mr. Schultze writes:
Milwaukee County Sheriff David A. Clarke Jr. criticized the county’s work-release program after deputies arrested a man Tuesday night who had left the downtown Community Correctional Center without authorization. Clarke said 41-year-old Kenneth D. Glenn should have been excluded from the work-release program based on his history of six felony convictions.
Note the verbs criticized and said. As Jay would teach us, those are action verbs, which would indicated that Clarke was present during these actions, or at least in direct contact with the reporter. But the last sentence of the same article reads:
Clarke was not available for comment Wednesday, said spokeswoman Kim Brooks.
Now, I realize Clarke probably did the original criticism through a press release. But I can't but think that it would make the article seem less self-contradictory if this was mentioned. But since it wasn't, and being right next to the first article, it would make it seem like sloppy journalism, or sloppy editing.
By no means should this critique be construed as maligning Mr. Schultze's personal or journalistic integrity, but I must point out that the inconsistencies between the two stories and in the same story, makes it more suspect to skepticism. I recognize that there may be some logical rationale on why these articles appear this way, but without knowing that rationale, one can only wonder, and be wary.
Another odd part to this whole thing is that when I went to write this post, I had to dig around in the archives to find the second story, even though it was just published today.
Saturday, October 27, 2007
What Really Did Happen, Mr. Walker?
by capper
One thing that both sides of the blogosphere can agree on, even if for different reasons, is that the local media is less than ideal. A prime example is the coverage that the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel gave today to the Freddie Dudley incident. Freddie Dudley was an inmate at the Community Correctional Center (CCC), which is operated by Milwaukee County, specifically the House of Corrections (HOC). Dudley, instead of returning to CCC, called in to say he was working late, and then had someone sign his name on the list. Meanwhile, Dudley stayed out, partied, and ended up shooting another man to death. Scott Walker, Tosa Ranger, was quite irate and promised to look into it and hold the culprit(s) responsible.
In today's story, we find that Walker has foundhis scapegoats the bad officers. But, given that I worked for HOC a ways back, and still know people that worked there, I saw many red flags in this story. First, Walker only sent out a press release. This would indicate he didn't want to be asked a lot of questions. Press releases are usually only sent out on mundane matters, or on things that politicians want to avoid dealing with. He also sent out the release on a Friday afternoon, another sign of trying to avoid a lot of pesky questions.
The Tosa Ranger's press release only said that three officers were suspended with pay until they went before the Personnel Review Board for termination hearings. Two supervising officers are facing either demotion or suspension. The press release did not reveal what the allegations against the officers are, except for "not following 'established guidelines for situations such as this'". (SIDENOTE: How often does an inmate go AWOL and kill someone that they have established guidelines for this sort of thing?)
There are many things that the story didn't report. One, the CCC is adjacent to the Medical Examiner's Office. They are so close that guards have to escort inmate porters through the MEO to take out the garbage. CCC was formerly a medical hospital, and was not really designed to hold prisoners. Furthermore, the CCC is in terrible condition due to lack of maintenance. Due to the poor design and shotty maintenance, it is very hard to monitor inmates that are supposed to be there.
Another missing aspect, is that the officers at CCC and HOC have been working large amounts of overtime due to being overcrowded and understaffed. This dangerous condition is due in no small part to Walker's irresponsible budgeting decisions. As I have mentioned before, when people in any job, work 12-16 hour days, six or seven days a week, for several months, they are not going to be at peak performance. This is true for cops, deputies and corrections officers, who are needed to be at top performance, not only for their own safety, but for the safety of the community as a whole. I pointed this out when an inmate escaped from HOC this past summer.
Nowhere in the article is this even mentioned, much less how much fatigue may have played into these two incidents.
One thing that both sides of the blogosphere can agree on, even if for different reasons, is that the local media is less than ideal. A prime example is the coverage that the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel gave today to the Freddie Dudley incident. Freddie Dudley was an inmate at the Community Correctional Center (CCC), which is operated by Milwaukee County, specifically the House of Corrections (HOC). Dudley, instead of returning to CCC, called in to say he was working late, and then had someone sign his name on the list. Meanwhile, Dudley stayed out, partied, and ended up shooting another man to death. Scott Walker, Tosa Ranger, was quite irate and promised to look into it and hold the culprit(s) responsible.
In today's story, we find that Walker has found
The Tosa Ranger's press release only said that three officers were suspended with pay until they went before the Personnel Review Board for termination hearings. Two supervising officers are facing either demotion or suspension. The press release did not reveal what the allegations against the officers are, except for "not following 'established guidelines for situations such as this'". (SIDENOTE: How often does an inmate go AWOL and kill someone that they have established guidelines for this sort of thing?)
There are many things that the story didn't report. One, the CCC is adjacent to the Medical Examiner's Office. They are so close that guards have to escort inmate porters through the MEO to take out the garbage. CCC was formerly a medical hospital, and was not really designed to hold prisoners. Furthermore, the CCC is in terrible condition due to lack of maintenance. Due to the poor design and shotty maintenance, it is very hard to monitor inmates that are supposed to be there.
Another missing aspect, is that the officers at CCC and HOC have been working large amounts of overtime due to being overcrowded and understaffed. This dangerous condition is due in no small part to Walker's irresponsible budgeting decisions. As I have mentioned before, when people in any job, work 12-16 hour days, six or seven days a week, for several months, they are not going to be at peak performance. This is true for cops, deputies and corrections officers, who are needed to be at top performance, not only for their own safety, but for the safety of the community as a whole. I pointed this out when an inmate escaped from HOC this past summer.
Nowhere in the article is this even mentioned, much less how much fatigue may have played into these two incidents.
A few other tidbits that wouldn't be reported or even asked.
- The members of the Personnel Review Board are all appointed by Walker. Does anyone wonder what the results of their reviews will be, regardless of the facts of the case.
- Dudley not only had someone sign in for him, but the same person apparently slept in his bed, so that the body counts wouldn't be off (this came to me from some former coworkers who will remain nameless for obvious reasons).
- Inmates at CCC aren't required to wear ID bracelets as are the inmates at HOC and the Milwaukee County Jail.
- Why is Walker waiting for the officers to be (probably) fired before he orders a probe of the policies?
- Why would he think that the Milwaukee County Sheriff's Office would be able to do a fair and honest review of HOC's policies, given their working relationship?
I would also be remiss if I failed to mention that anyone that has worked in law enforcement or corrections would tell you that the evenings and nights are the busiest times, or power shifts. Walker wants to close the CCC and put all the inmates on GPS monitors. Given that Dudley shot the victim in the middle of the night, I guess Walker's plan would allow enforcement officers to know exactly where all these inmates are when they start shooting people.
I have two questions for Walker. The first is if he is taking this action against these officers? Is it to avoid the inevitable lawsuit from the victims family, or because he has an election coming up (if he ever decides if he is running)?
The second question is this: In his 2008 budget speech (pdf), Walker promised to deliver "Safety. Affordability. And Pride." When was he planning to start offering these things, and what has he been doing for the past five and a half years?
Monday, August 13, 2007
Playing the Blame Game: The Milwaukee County Edition
by capper
On August 4th, Michael Verville, an inmate at the Milwaukee County House of Correction, escaped. Fortunately, he was caught the next day. This wasn't a spur of the moment, opportunistic event. It was thought out and took weeks to implement. Now, Milwaukee County Executive Scott Walker has presented a plan to curtail further escape attempts, including more razor wire, more cameras, more lighting and bricking up windows. But he does not address one of the major reasons that this escape was possible, burnt out staff members.
Having had worked at HOC for a number of years, I feel that I have some insight on what happened. Basically the House is understaffed, and the workers are burning out by having to do constant overtime. This was talked about in an article in MSJ back on June 30th.
Many of the officers at the HOC use the job as a stepping stone for a position with the Sheriff's Department (oops, Sheriff's Office now) or with a municipal police department. Many officers don't have what it takes to work there and leave on their own or are fired. This means a high rate of turnover already exists. Adding to the problems is Scott Walker's perennial budget cuts in the disguise of tax freezes, and this lowers the number or positions available, but not necessarily the number needed. Furthermore, in an effort to cut his budget, Sheriff David Clarke changed the staffing at the Milwaukee County Jail from deputies to correction officers, causing a small exodus of people from HOC to the jail.
So now you have officers that are working 12 to 16 hours a day, six to seven days a week, week in and week out. Officers are getting so burnt out that they are purposely disrespecting superior officers, or violating other policies, just so they can get suspended and have a day off. (This also adds to the shortage of officers, and causes even more forced overtime for the others.)
When you have people working these many hours, without a day off or even enough time to do more than catch five hours a sleep before going back to work on a daily basis, mistakes are going to happen. People aren't as alert or as careful as they should be, especially in a prison setting.
The chronic fatigue, the inability for officers to see their families, and the increasing risk of injury has caused an all time low in morale. This is exasperated when they have people threatening their job security with talk of privatization.
SIDE NOTE: HOC Superintendent Ronald Malone indicated that they are having a hard time recruiting people (a friend that still works there told me that the last training class had four people, as opposed to the usual 12 to 15). Does this surprise anyone? Who would want to work under these conditions?
To further add insult to injury, Walker is already preparing to point his finger at the dastardly, lazy, incompetent county workers, without acknowledging the simple fact that it was his policy that created the conditions to allow the escape to happen in the first place. He has already made a statement today showing that he plans to blame the officers involved, when he said, "Did those staffers follow the procedures put in place and for those who didn't and we're not pre-judging until the reports are done, but for those individuals the discipline will be swift and direct."
Not to be outdone, Sheriff Clarke wrote a letter to the county board criticizing HOC and its staff. The article reads:
On August 4th, Michael Verville, an inmate at the Milwaukee County House of Correction, escaped. Fortunately, he was caught the next day. This wasn't a spur of the moment, opportunistic event. It was thought out and took weeks to implement. Now, Milwaukee County Executive Scott Walker has presented a plan to curtail further escape attempts, including more razor wire, more cameras, more lighting and bricking up windows. But he does not address one of the major reasons that this escape was possible, burnt out staff members.
Having had worked at HOC for a number of years, I feel that I have some insight on what happened. Basically the House is understaffed, and the workers are burning out by having to do constant overtime. This was talked about in an article in MSJ back on June 30th.
Many of the officers at the HOC use the job as a stepping stone for a position with the Sheriff's Department (oops, Sheriff's Office now) or with a municipal police department. Many officers don't have what it takes to work there and leave on their own or are fired. This means a high rate of turnover already exists. Adding to the problems is Scott Walker's perennial budget cuts in the disguise of tax freezes, and this lowers the number or positions available, but not necessarily the number needed. Furthermore, in an effort to cut his budget, Sheriff David Clarke changed the staffing at the Milwaukee County Jail from deputies to correction officers, causing a small exodus of people from HOC to the jail.
So now you have officers that are working 12 to 16 hours a day, six to seven days a week, week in and week out. Officers are getting so burnt out that they are purposely disrespecting superior officers, or violating other policies, just so they can get suspended and have a day off. (This also adds to the shortage of officers, and causes even more forced overtime for the others.)
When you have people working these many hours, without a day off or even enough time to do more than catch five hours a sleep before going back to work on a daily basis, mistakes are going to happen. People aren't as alert or as careful as they should be, especially in a prison setting.
The chronic fatigue, the inability for officers to see their families, and the increasing risk of injury has caused an all time low in morale. This is exasperated when they have people threatening their job security with talk of privatization.
SIDE NOTE: HOC Superintendent Ronald Malone indicated that they are having a hard time recruiting people (a friend that still works there told me that the last training class had four people, as opposed to the usual 12 to 15). Does this surprise anyone? Who would want to work under these conditions?
To further add insult to injury, Walker is already preparing to point his finger at the dastardly, lazy, incompetent county workers, without acknowledging the simple fact that it was his policy that created the conditions to allow the escape to happen in the first place. He has already made a statement today showing that he plans to blame the officers involved, when he said, "Did those staffers follow the procedures put in place and for those who didn't and we're not pre-judging until the reports are done, but for those individuals the discipline will be swift and direct."
Not to be outdone, Sheriff Clarke wrote a letter to the county board criticizing HOC and its staff. The article reads:
Milwaukee Sheriff David Clarke is criticizing the House of Correction. In a letter to the County Board President, he blames complacency and negligence of the workers. He also criticizes managers who set the tone.
In the same letter, Clarke talks about touring the H.O.C. just two days after the escape. "People will usually recommit and rededicate themselves after an incident like Saturday's escape; one can usually fell the sense of urgency in the air. Unfortunately, I did not experience any sense of urgency in the atmosphere at the H.O.C." he wrote.
In the same letter, Clarke talks about touring the H.O.C. just two days after the escape. "People will usually recommit and rededicate themselves after an incident like Saturday's escape; one can usually fell the sense of urgency in the air. Unfortunately, I did not experience any sense of urgency in the atmosphere at the H.O.C." he wrote.
The funny thing about Clarke's criticism, is that, as Ken Mobile at Mobile's Take points out, he is actually blaming himself.
On the bright side, at least one county supervisor, Mark Borkowski, gets it. He has repeatedly stepped up and pointed out the overtime crisis at HOC and that unless something is done to get officers some relief, it will probably only get worse.
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