Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley Applauds Judiciary, Safety and General Services Committee Approval of Chantell Jewell as House of Correction Superintendent

MILWAUKEE, WI – Today, the Milwaukee County Judiciary, Safety and General Services Committee approved the appointment of Chantell Jewell as House of Correction Superintendent. The board’s unanimous vote brings Milwaukee County one step closer to approving the first Black Woman to the lead the House of Correction.

“I am thrilled to see the Judiciary, Safety, and General Services committee advance the appointment of Chantell Jewell to lead the House of Correction. Chantell’s experience in promoting racial equity, addressing disparities, reducing incarceration, and promoting improved outcomes for residents is exactly the kind of leadership we need at the House of Correction right now,” said Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley. “The House of Correction is an important part of our vision to achieve racial equity, improve health outcomes, and become the healthiest county in Wisconsin. Chantell is the right leader for the task of guiding the House of Correction in improving our efforts towards restorative justice and investing in equity by giving residents the resources they need to avoid entering the system in the first place.”

A Milwaukee native, Chantell Jewell brings over 25 years of experience to her new role as head of HOC. For 20 years, Jewell served in various positions within the Wisconsin Department of Corrections (DOC), including roles as a youth counselor, parole agent, and field supervisor. During her tenure at DOC, Jewell Co-Chaired the Regional Diversity Committee to improve organizational culture, educate staff on implicit bias, and review hiring practices to increase staff diversity. Jewell also participated in a statewide committee that developed evidence- based responses to violations in order to improve consistency and decrease racial disparities in the system.

For the past year, Jewell has served as a Deputy Administrator for Milwaukee County’s Division of Youth and Family Services (DYFS). Prior to joining Milwaukee County, Jewell worked as a Reentry Services Manager for EMPLOY Milwaukee where she developed EMPLOY Milwaukee’s long-term policy agenda of reentry programming, increased employment opportunities and placements for people in the system in Milwaukee County, and led systems integration between the Workforce Board, Department of Corrections, and community based organizations.

Jewell began her tenure as HOC Superintendent on November 16. Jewell’s appointment is subject to a vote by the entire County Board later this month. Should her appointment be approved, nearly two-thirds of the County Executive’s department leaders will be Black and over half of department heads will be women.

NOTE: This press release was submitted to Urban Milwaukee and was not written by an Urban Milwaukee writer. While it is believed to be reliable, Urban Milwaukee does not guarantee its accuracy or completeness.