State Rep. Ryan Clancy
Press Release

Milwaukee County Sheriff’s Department Lies about Suicide Prevention Measures

After additional harm in Milwaukee County Jail, Rep. Clancy pushes for transparency and restructuring

By - Jun 5th, 2025 11:52 am

MILWAUKEE, Wis. –

The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported this morning that a transgender individual in the custody of the Milwaukee County Jail tried to commit suicide despite ignored warning signs and alerts to the Sheriff’s department from concerned family. The family has filed a $50 million claim that alleges the jail failed to provide adequate mental health or suicide prevention services. Two people have died in custody in the Milwaukee County jail in the last two months alone. Sheriff Ball claimed in 2023 that the office was taking measures to prevent deaths in custody; this reporting published today revealed that was untrue.

Rep. Clancy issued the following statement:

“It is abundantly clear, after much harm and many deaths, that no Sheriff in recent memory has the will or capacity to run the Milwaukee County Jail safely. The lack of transparency, the toxic culture and the flat-out lies are not acceptable. The Sheriff’s neglect is killing Milwaukee residents.

The long-sought audit of the jail has the potential to reduce some of the harm that the Sheriff’s office continues to perpetuate, but it is not enough. We must work with county officials to advance legislation which compels the Sheriff to provide elected officials access to jails and which allows counties to administer jails themselves, removing control from unaccountable Sheriff’s offices that continue to act in bad faith.

Mass incarceration is inherently harmful. Even as we work to reduce it, we have the duty to make the conditions of confinement as humane as possible.”

 

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.

Mentioned in This Press Release

People:

Leave a Reply

You must be an Urban Milwaukee member to leave a comment. Membership, which includes a host of perks, including an ad-free website, tickets to marquee events like Summerfest, the Wisconsin State Fair and the Florentine Opera, a better photo browser and access to members-only, behind-the-scenes tours, starts at $9/month. Learn more.

Join now and cancel anytime.

If you are an existing member, sign-in to leave a comment.

Have questions? Need to report an error? Contact Us