Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley Appoints Chantell Jewell as House of Correction Superintendent

MILWAUKEE, WI –  Today, Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley announced Chantell Jewell as his appointee to serve as a Superintendent of the House of Correction (HOC). Jewell’s appointment comes after the resignation of former HOC Superintendent Michael Hafemann earlier this year.

“Every single department in Milwaukee County government is committed to our vision of achieving racial equity, improving health outcomes, and becoming the healthiest county in Wisconsin. The future of the House of Correction is integral to that vision. Over the years we’ve seen too many residents enter the justice system and experience worsened health outcomes as a result. Instead of doing what we’ve always done and expect different results, the House of Correction’s future includes 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,” said Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley. “It is an honor to appoint Chantell Jewell as Superintendent of the House of Correction. Chantell will be Milwaukee County’s first Black woman to lead the House of Correction, but it is her nearly three decades of experience serving her fellow residents in Milwaukee County and her leadership in promoting racial equity, addressing disparities, reducing incarceration, and promoting improved outcomes for residents that makes her uniquely qualified to lead the House of Correction in the spirit of our vision to achieve racial equity.”

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. She was also a member of a statewide committee to develop policy for sex offenders experiencing homelessness – with consideration to sex offender ordinances, citizen concerns and offender rights.

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.

“Having committed my life to improving the lives of others and helping justice-involved individuals have a positive impact on the community around them, I am excited to have the opportunity continue this important work as Superintendent of the House of Correction,” said Chantell Jewell. “HOC has a big part to play in Milwaukee County’s goal to achieve racial equity and become the healthiest county in Wisconsin. When communities are healthy and the people living in them have access to the necessities they need to thrive, regardless of an individual’s participation in the justice system, we all win. Healthy communities are safe communities and I look forward to being part of the solution to make Milwaukee County neighborhoods the healthiest and safest in the state.”

Jewell will begin her tenure as HOC Superintendent on November 16. Jewell’s appointment is pending County Board approval. Should the board approve her appointment nearly two-thirds of 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. It has not been verified for its accuracy or completeness.