Sheriff’s Office Responds to Alarming Jail Audit Report

Milwaukee County Jail. Photo by Jeramey Jannene.

Following an independent audit that found “deeply alarming” policies for suicide prevention in the Milwaukee County Jail, the Milwaukee County Sherifff’s Office (MCSO) said it has already made progress on the problem, and began working on it before the audit was commissioned.

“First, while one death in custody, regardless of circumstances, is one too many, it’s important to note that there has not been a suicide in custody at the Milwaukee County Jail (MCJ) since January 2023– this while, as the audit itself acknowledges, suicides have recently trended upward in detention facilities elsewhere, across the United States,” the MCSO said in a statement to Urban Milwaukee.

The audit was conducted by Texas-based Creative Corrections, LLC. It was commissioned by the County Board of Supervisors after a string of deaths and suicides occurred in the jail and follows repeated calls for transparency from advocates and family members of persons who have died in the jail.

The MCSO says it began implementing new measures to improve suicide prevention before the board commissioned the audit: a new supervisor position that audits corrections officers and supervisors including suicide-watch inspections; assigning a corrections officer to focus only on suicide-watch occupants; and “Conducting reviews on every shift, round the clock, of the number and quality of inspections in all living areas in the MCJ, to ensure a consistency of occupant observation and care.”

Major issues spotlighted in the audit include the practice of handcuffing suicidal occupants to benches in the booking room for hours at a time, overusing suicide watch, inadequate suicide prevention training and deficient suicide watch facilities.

The auditors found the policy of handcuffing occupants on suicide watch to benches particularly distressing and recommended MCSO end the practice immediately.

“Reveals a critical lack of training and understanding regarding appropriate suicide watch protocols,” says the report.

The practice has been used in the jail since 2018, according to the MCSO, and “is intended to allow corrections staff to keep a constant watch over occupants who have indicated suicidal ideations and/or demonstrated violent behavior.”

The jail is frequently inspected by the Wisconsin Department of Corrections, the U.S. Marshals Service and the National Commission on Correctional Healthcare (NCCHC), and the practice “has not been regarded critically during or following any such inspections, till the generation of this audit report,” the MCSO said. “That said, MCSO is exploring alternatives to that practice that will allow jail staff to safely accomplish the same thing: the observation and protection of distressed occupants in our care.”

On the training front, the MCSO said it has begun providing more suicide prevention training to new correction officers. The audit also highlighted the lack of training for probationary officers.

The MCSO is also working with the county to make changes to the suicide-watch cells. The auditors reported damaged glass that can’t be seen through, dark, unlighted cells and light switches on the inside of cells present a safety concern and making it hard for jail staffing to control the lighting. All of this has the effect of making constant observation of individuals on suicide watch nearly impossible. The plan is to remove light switches from the inside of cells and repair the viewing glass.

“People should understand that while MCSO is eager to maintain and update the Milwaukee County Jail,” the MCSO said, “the Sheriff’s Office does not own the building and therefore has limited influence over what is upgraded and when because such changes can come with a significant financial cost.”

The audit report will be reviewed in December by two Milwaukee County Board committees said Chairwoman Marcelia Nicholson. “I encourage all stakeholders to come to the table and share the immediate steps they are taking to respond to the audit’s 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 funding it.

“Let’s collaborate 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 Executive David Crowley said his administration will work with the MCSO and the county board to discuss the findings of the report.

“The independent audit raises serious health and safety concerns regarding the conditions and protocols at the Milwaukee County Jail,” Crowley said. “At the end of the day, I want anyone in Milwaukee County to have proper access to mental health support, resources, and trained professionals to assist in times of crisis.”

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