Council Members Seek Help From Governor on Juvenile Justice System
“Sadly, our current juvenile justice system has, with few exceptions, become little more than an undergraduate course for violent criminals.”
The homicide of City of Milwaukee DNS special enforcement inspector Greg “Ziggy” Zyszkiewicz last week is but one of the most recent in a long line of deaths and violent crimes caused by Milwaukee juveniles and young adults who have been in and out of the juvenile justice system for years – a dramatically broken juvenile justice system, according to Alderman Robert Donovan and Alderman Mark Borkowski. Now those two aldermen, the chair and vice-chair of the Common Council’s Public Safety Committee, respectively, have asked Governor Scott Walker for help in expediting needed changes to reform the system.
In part, the jointly signed letter states: “You have consistently shown yourself to be a leader unafraid of controversial positions and policies if you thought them in the best interests of Wisconsin. In that same spirit, we ask you to undertake a thorough audit and eventual reform of the state’s juvenile justice system. This has, for us, become a matter of the highest priority, a view shared by many of our Common Council colleagues and the residents we represent. It is to be acknowledged that this is no small undertaking, but the circumstances demand no less.”
Alderman Donovan said he has heard a steady call from people across Milwaukee that a juvenile justice system revamp can no longer be delayed. “Sadly, our current juvenile justice system has, with few exceptions, become little more than an undergraduate course for violent criminals,” he said.
NOTE: This press release was submitted to Urban Milwaukee and was not written by an Urban Milwaukee writer. It has not been verified for its accuracy or completeness.
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