Sheriff’s office responds to alarming jail audit report » Urban Milwaukee

Following an independent audit which found ‘deeply alarming’ suicide prevention policies in the milwaukee county jailTHE Milwaukee County Sherifff’s office (MCSO) said it had already made progress on the issue and began working on it before the audit was commissioned.

“First, while one in-custody death, regardless of the circumstances, is one too many, it is important to note that there has not been a single in-custody suicide at the Milwaukee County Jail (MCJ) since January 2023 – during which time, as acknowledge the audit itself. , suicides have recently trended upward in detention centers elsewhere in the United States,” MCSO said in a statement to Urban Milwaukee.

The audit was conducted by Texas-based Creative Corrections, LLC. It was ordered by the County Board of Supervisors after a series of deaths and suicides occurred in the jail and follows repeated calls for transparency from lawyers and family members of people who died in jail.

MCSO says it began implementing new measures to improve suicide prevention before the board ordered the audit: a new supervisor position that audits correctional officers and supervisors, including suicide surveillance inspections; designating a correctional officer to focus only on suicide supervision occupants; and “Conducting 24/7 round-the-clock reviews of the number and quality of inspections in all MCJ living spaces to ensure consistency of occupant observation and care.”

Major issues highlighted in audit they include the practice of handcuffing suicidal occupants to benches in the holding room for hours on end, overuse of suicide supervision, inadequate suicide prevention training, and inadequate suicide supervision facilities.

The auditors found the policy of handcuffing occupants under suicide watch to benches particularly troubling and recommended that the MCSO immediately end the practice.

“It reveals a critical lack of training and understanding of appropriate suicide surveillance protocols,” the report says.

The practice has been used at the jail since 2018, according to MCSO, and “is intended to allow correctional staff to constantly supervise occupants who have indicated suicidal ideation and/or demonstrated violent behavior.”

The prison is inspected frequently by Wisconsin Department of CorrectionsTHE US Marshals Service and the National Commission on Correctional Health Care (NCCHC), and the practice of “was not critically looked at during or following such inspections until the generation of this audit report,” MCSO said. “That said, MCSO is exploring alternatives to this practice that would allow jail staff to safely accomplish the same thing: observe and protect distressed occupants in our care.”

As for training, MCSO said it has begun offering more suicide prevention classes to new corrections officers. The audit also highlighted the lack of training of trainee officers.

MCSO is also working with the county to make changes to the suicide watch cells. Auditors reported that damaged glass that cannot be seen, dark, unlit cells and light switches inside cells pose a safety issue and make it difficult for prison staff to control lighting. All of this has the effect of making it almost impossible to constantly observe people under suicide watch. The plan is to remove the light switches inside the cells and repair the viewing glass.

“People should understand that while MCSO is eager to maintain and upgrade the Milwaukee County Jail,” MCSO said, “The Sheriff’s Office does not own the building and therefore has limited influence on what is upgraded and when, because such changes can come with a significant impact. financial cost.”

The audit report will be reviewed in December by two Milwaukee County Council committees, the chair said Marcelia Nicholson. “I encourage all stakeholders to come to the table and share the immediate steps they are taking to address the audit findings and what tools are needed to implement other recommendations.”

The audit was ordered “in the spirit of accountability and continuous improvement,” said Nicholson, who sponsored the budget amendment that funded it.

“Let’s collaborate on how the audit recommendations can be implemented to improve county services and protect the safety of our employees and those in our care,” Nicholson said.

County Executive David Crowley said his administration will work with MCSO and the county board to discuss the report’s findings.

“The independent audit raises serious health and safety concerns about conditions and protocols at the Milwaukee County Jail,” Crowley said. “At the end of the day, I want everyone in Milwaukee County to have adequate access to support, resources and trained mental health professionals to help in times of crisis.”

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