GPS Tracking Signals End of Milwaukee Work Release Center
MILWAUKEE, Wis. — Milwaukee County Community Correctional Center will be phased out in 2008 under a county proposal to introduce electronic surveillance of work-release inmates.
Adopting the electronic GPS monitoring bracelets, which track movements 24 hours a day, is predicted to save the county about $2.5 million per year, primarily through the elimination of about 35 correctional officer positions, officials say.
Under the plan, the county would lease the GPS tracking system for about $150,000 per year. Initially, the main floor of the facility would remain open, with up to a dozen correctional officers on site to monitor the movements of work-release inmates as the facility is gradually phased out of operation.
The remaining staff, whose positions would be eliminated under the plan, would likely be transferred to fill vacant positions and reduce the need for overtime at the county’s main correctional facility, officials say.
The work-release facility houses about 350 inmates in five units with up to four inmates sharing each of its dormitory-style rooms. Inmates, who stay for up to several months, sleep at the correctional center but are free to leave the facility during the day to attend school, treatment programs or jobs in the community.
The center opened in 1990 in the former St. Anthony Hospital , which dates back to 1930. In 2005, an audit found the center to be in poor condition and in need of major repairs. Several years prior to the audit, city building inspectors investigated a series of complaints arising from unsanitary and unsafe conditions at the facility, including mold, sewage odors, and loose electrical and fixture wiring, officials say. The city subsequently ordered the county to make the necessary repairs to improve conditions and make the facility safe.
The 2005 report estimated the renovations to the existing facility would cost $12 million, while $24 million would be required to construct a completely new facility at the site.