Catch and Release
During the state
biennial budget debate a controversial idea was proposed. In order to balance
the budget, the idea focused on releasing convicted criminals back on the street
prior to serving their full sentence.
Those agreeing with
the governor felt the state invested too much money in housing convicted felons,
while opponents and I argued public safety is one of the important and basic
duties of government. Ultimately, early release was passed on a straight
Democrat party line vote.
The list of criminals
eligible for release from prison is long. For example, causing great bodily
harm to a child (class G felony), battery (class G felony), physical abuse of a
child (class H felony), possession of child pornography (class I felony),
battery of an unborn child (class I felony), and sexual abuse of a child (class
B felony) are some of the crimes eligible for early release.
Wisconsin’s
Department of Corrections released the first individuals in early January.
Crimes they were convicted of included drugs, theft, forgery, burglary, and
driving while intoxicated. Collectively, the 22 released offenders have 74
felonies and 79 misdemeanor convictions on their records. Furthermore, 15 of
the convicts had previously been denied early release by a judge.
Notice, the
prisoners were released by the Department of Corrections. No input was involved
from judges, prosecutors, law enforcement, or victims, nor was the public given
a clear idea of which inmates are safe and which are dangerous.
Early release was one
of many proposals I opposed in the budget. Currently, along with 43 colleagues
from both the Assembly and Senate, I’ve called for an immediate repeal of the
Governor’s misguided program. To date, the governor has failed to respond to
our concerns.
Governor Pat Quinn
suspended a similar early release program in Illinois due to high recidivism
rates by released individuals. Additionally, Wisconsin’s nonpartisan
Legislative Fiscal Bureau was unable to substantiate the savings projected by
the proponents of the early release program. To realize any significant cost
savings, a prison would have to be completely closed.
Releasing felons
early contradicts recently passed bi-partisan legislation to crack down on drunk
driving. Particularly concerning is the release of
a 5-time drunk driver with a
history of drinking-related probation violations.
As it stands,
if the early release program continues, 3,000 convicts including drug dealers,
arsonists, career criminals, and repeat drunk drivers could be released back
into your neighborhood by the end of the year.
Wisconsin
can’t have a catch and release attitude concerning criminals. There must be
direct accountability to the electorate when protecting society.
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