Supervisors Martin and Clancy Call for Audit of Milwaukee County Jail

MILWAUKEE – On the morning of Thursday, March 16, a 37-year-old man was found unconscious and unresponsive in his cell at the Milwaukee County Jail and died shortly after. This marked the fourth death at the jail in the past nine months, prompting renewed calls for an audit of the facility.

County Supervisors Felesia A. Martin and Ryan Clancy released the following statements:

“Four deaths of citizens in our care while awaiting charges is unacceptable,” said Supervisor Martin, Chair of the Audit Committee. “Investigations of these deaths are forthcoming, and we call on our investigative agencies to be transparent and thorough. We are also calling for an audit of the jail. Our community deserves answers, especially the families and loved ones of the departed. I extend my heartfelt sympathy to the families.”

“This marks the fourth death in custody in the jail in nine months. As with the last three, we stand with community demands for both transparency and footage to be released,” said Supervisor Clancy, Chair of the Judiciary, Law Enforcement and General Services Committee. “As with the last three, I expect that neither will be forthcoming. When Supervisor Martin and I circulate our resolution calling for an audit of the jail, I am confident that both stakeholders and our colleagues on the Board will coalesce around the unfortunately dire need for a closer look into the circumstances surrounding these deaths, several of which seem to have been preventable.”

Supervisors Martin and Clancy are in the process of drafting a resolution that would prompt an audit of deaths in custody at the jail, including contributing factors to jail suicides and suicide prevention measures.

Community leaders and officials have previously called for an audit to investigate the jail’s policies surrounding suicide prevention and monitoring, the reporting of incidents to families of the deceased, the use of solitary confinement, and staffing levels for medical, correction and mental health employees, among other issues.

The Waukesha County Sheriff’s Department is currently investigating the death.

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.

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