Supervisor Martin Applauds Humanizing Updates to Milwaukee County Sheriff’s Office Terminology

MILWAUKEE – Last Friday Sheriff Earnell Lucas announced that the Milwaukee County Sheriff’s Office had made numerous updates to official terminology related to the Milwaukee County Jail and units within the Sheriff’s Office.

“These terminology updates reflect a more humane and less adversarial approach to working with the people in custody at the Milwaukee County Jail,” said Supervisor Felesia A. Martin. “We must continue to keep our duty to protect the health and safety of those in our care at the forefront of our operations. This move will be a reminder to everyone working in the jail of that duty.”

The word “inmate” will no longer be used within the agency, except in certain policies and legal documents. The phrase “person/people in our care” and “occupant” will be used when describing individuals in custody at the Milwaukee County Jail.

The goal of this update is to reflect the obligation of detention facilities to safeguard the lives and health of persons in custody and the fact that persons in pre-trial detention have not been sentenced or committed to confinement.

The terms “CO” and “correctional officer” will also no longer be used within the agency, except in certain legal and fiscal contexts. Instead, the title “Officer” will be used to describe uniformed jail-certified personnel.

Finally, the “Internal Affairs Division” will now be called the “Professional Standards Division.” This update is meant to explicitly express the agency’s commitment to public accountability and professional excellence.

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.