February 27, 2018
Corrections reform
This week's e-update, the fourth in a series of
articles focusing on legislative and budgetary accomplishments
from the current session, centers on corrections reform.
Last week, the legislature approved a series of bills relating to
correctional reform. I was proud to join my colleagues in supporting these important legislative
initiatives.
The following represents a summation of
correctional system reforms instituted during the 2017-19
legislative session:
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Created 53.75 new assistant district
attorney positions beginning in July 2019 in 40 counties,
including one position in both Ozaukee and Washington
Counties
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Required counties to develop Secure
Residential Care Centers for Children and Youth (SRCCCYs) to
house juveniles from Lincoln Hills/Cooper Lakes facilities,
which will be repurposed by July 2020. Smaller, local
approaches to youth justice are effective in reducing
recidivism, which improves public safety.
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Offered $20 million for sum sufficient
grants of 95 percent of construction costs for
county SRCCCYs
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Improved county facilities and programming
to be in line with current best practices for juvenile
corrections and rehabilitation
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Appropriated $30 million for an addition at
Mendota Juvenile Treatment Center
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Awarded $1.1 million in grants to the
Wisconsin Department of Corrections for the creation,
operation, and upkeep of mobile classrooms to expand
education and vocational opportunities to prepare offenders
for reentry into society and help reduce recidivism
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Increased funding by $1 million for Windows
to Works, a pre-and-post-release jobs program for medium and
high-risk offenders
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Expanded and increased staffing for the
earned release program for eligible inmates who successfully
complete substance abuse treatment programs
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Provided funding for body-worn cameras for
correctional officers who work in restrictive housing at the
Department of Corrections' maximum-security prisons
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Combated straw purchasing in order to keep
our communities safe
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Closed a loophole and ensured that individuals
on probation and are illegally in possession of a firearm
are subject to the same three-year mandatory minimum
sentence as anyone who is prohibited from possessing a
firearm
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Removed the three-year limit on the amount
of time the Department of Corrections may place certain
juveniles participating in the Serious Juvenile Offender
Program in secured detention facilities.
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Allowed individuals to petition the court
for expungement after successfully completing their sentence
and do not commit a new crime for at least one-year
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Increased the mandatory minimum sentence for
felony murder or second-degree intentional homicide if the
individual has been previously convicted of the same time of
crime
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Classified car jacking as a Class E Felony
As denoted, Assembly Bill 953 established a
framework for small, regional Secure Residential Care Centers
for Children and Youth facilities to house youths currently
residing at Lincoln Hills and Copper Lakes. In January, Governor
Walker announced plans to repurpose Lincoln Hills and Coper
Lakes by 2020. Under this legislation, counties may establish
SRCCCYs, partner with other counties to establish these
facilities, or contract with another county or consortium to
place juveniles under their supervision. The bill provided $40
million for sum sufficient grants of 95 percent of the
construction costs of these facilities.
Senate Bill 54 addressed prosecutor shortages
throughout the state and funded 53.75 additional assistant
district attorney positions in 40 counties. Ozaukee and
Washington Counties will each receive one new ADA position
beginning in July 2019.
Lastly, Senate Bill 53 reformed the expungement
process. Currently, at the time of sentencing, a court may order
that a person's record be expunged when the sentence is
completed. Senate Bill 53 eliminates the requirement for the
sentencing court to rule on expungement and permits an individual
to petition the court for expungement after completing his or
her sentence. The individual must not commit another crime for at least
one-year. Additionally, this legislation applies retroactively
to those who previously committed a non-violent crime. These
reforms are meant to help those trapped on the sidelines who
have not been able to obtain employment due to one poor
decision. For more information regarding corrections reform, see
the
press release I issued last week.
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Public Libraries:
A focal point of local communities
Public libraries are focal points of local communities, providing access
to modern technology and allowing individuals to escape from the daily
grind by engrossing themselves in a mystery novel, to name just a few.
More importantly, public libraries are engines of intellectual growth,
community development, civic pride, and partners in child development.
I agree with the American Public Library Association that these
institutions are of paramount importance to local communities. The
American Public Library Association posited that for the following
reasons, libraries are among the most consequential locales in any
community:
-
They help revitalize struggling or depressed
neighborhoods and downtowns
-
Libraries are important partners in sustainability
-
Special collections grow out of specific community
needs
-
Archives preserve historic artifacts, oral
histories, digital history projects, and monographs relevant to
community
-
Libraries are places where people come to know
themselves and their communities
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These institutions serve as catalysts for addressing
social problems
-
Libraries are are a part of the community's
political life
-
Library buildings as architectural structures are
culturally relevant
-
Libraries provide important business resources,
especially for small local businesses
-
Libraries serve as the "people's university"
-
These institutions offer opportunities for remote
access, making it possible for those who cannot get to the library
to still access the library's cultural and educational offerings
-
Libraries go beyond providing content to enabling
patrons to create their own content
-
And, libraries promote civil discourse
The following represented just a few of the myriad
benefits public libraries provide to local communities.
This session, the legislature made it a
priority to invest in public libraries, recognizing that libraries
are repositories of knowledge.
-
Funding for libraries increased by $500,000 in the
2017-19 biennial budget (Every $1 invested in libraries brings in a
$27 return in value)
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Wisconsin's Public Library System assists 383 libraries across the "Badger State"
(there are 17 library systems serving all 72
counties)
-
99 percent of public libraries offer FREE WIFI
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Public libraries promote economic development;
23 percent of those that visited a library within the last
year have done so to apply for a job
-
Libraries foster business development by providing
courses in entrepreneurship and business marketing
-
Technical, college, and university libraries serve
more than 237,000 students in Wisconsin
institutions of higher learning
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Youth summer reading programs encourage youth to
become lifelong learners
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Wisconsin has one of the nation's largest and most
active collections of electronic books and digital audio books
Public libraries are value to local communities and more
than deserving of the funding increases appropriated in the 2017-19
biennial budget.
Meeting with local groups
This week, I had the opportunity to meet with
developers and property owners throughout Wisconsin to discuss
the benefits of economic development and Assembly Bill 770 that
I authored with Senator Duey Stroebel (R-Cedarburg). This
discussion, hosted by the Wisconsin Builders Association,
allowed me to better understand the issues of greatest concern
to members of Wisconsin's building and contractor communities.
Additionally, I had the opportunity to meet with constituents
from the Wisconsin Library Association, when
they visited the Wisconsin State Capitol for their legislative
day. It is always a pleasure to converse with
constituents about issues of greatest concern to them .
Participating in a panel discussion with Senator Tom Tiffany at
the Wisconsin Builders Association legislative day
Discussing Assembly Bill 770 with members of Wisconsin's building
and development community at their legislative day |
Have a great week,
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State Capitol Room
309 North-PO Box 8952, Madison, WI 53708
(608) 267-2369
Email: Rep.Rob.Brooks@legis.Wisconsin.gov |