Sheriff’s Office Responds to Alarming Jail Audit Report » Urban Milwaukee

Following an independent audit that found U.S. suicide prevention policies “deeply troubling.” Milwaukee County Jail, Milwaukee County Sherifff (MCSO) stated that it had already made progress in resolving this issue and had begun work on it before ordering the audit.

“First, while one death in custody, regardless of the circumstances, is one death too many, it is important to note that there has not been a suicide in custody at the Milwaukee County Jail (MCJ) since January 2023 – during that time, as he himself confirms audit suicide rates in detention facilities elsewhere in the United States have increased recently,” 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 string of deaths and suicides at the jail and follows repeated calls for transparency from advocates and family members of people who have 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 corrections officers and supervisors, including suicide watch inspections; assigning a corrections officer to focus exclusively on suicide watch residents; And “Conducting 24-hour, every-shift reviews of the number and quality of inspections in all MCJ residential areas to ensure consistency in resident observation and care.”

Main problems underlined in audiT include the practice of chaining suicidal people to desks in a booking hall for hours at a time, excessive use of suicide monitoring, inadequate suicide prevention training, and inadequate suicide surveillance facilities.

Auditors found the policy of handcuffing people on suicide watch to be particularly concerning and recommended that MCSO immediately end the practice.

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

According to MCSO, this practice has been in place at the jail since 2018, and “is intended to enable correctional staff to continuously supervise tenants who have demonstrated suicidal thoughts and/or aggressive behavior.”

The State of Wisconsin frequently inspects prisons Department of Corrections, United States Marshals Service and the National Commission for Institutional Health Care (NCCHC) and the practice of “has not been critically evaluated during or after such inspections until the preparation of this audit report,” MCSO said. ““That said, MCSO is exploring alternatives to this practice that will allow jail staff to safely accomplish the same: surveillance and protection of the vulnerable residents in our care.”

On the training front, MCSO said it has begun providing new correctional officers with more suicide prevention training. The inspection also revealed a lack of training for probationary officials.

MCSO is also working with the county to implement changes to suicide watch cells. Inspectors reported that damaged glass that made it impossible to see through, dark, unlit cells and light switches inside cells posed a security risk and made it difficult for prison staff to control lighting. All this makes constant surveillance of people on suicide watch almost impossible. The plan is to remove the light switches from inside the cells and repair the visor.

“People should understand that while MCSO desires to maintain and upgrade the Milwaukee County Jail,” MCSO said, “The Sheriff’s Office does not own the building and therefore has limited influence over what is upgraded and when, as such changes may involve significant costs financial.”

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

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

“Let us work together on how the audit recommendations can be implemented to improve county services and protect the safety of our employees and those entrusted to our care,” Nicholson said.

County manager 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 regarding conditions and protocols at the Milwaukee County Jail,” Crowley said. “I want to ultimately ensure that everyone in Milwaukee County has adequate access to mental health support, resources and trained professionals who can help in times of crisis.”

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