Plymouth Review

Popular Categories

Prison security compromisedFree Access


Prison security compromised

To the Editor,

This is an open letter to the Town of Mitchell Board and neighbors of the Kettle Moraine Correctional Institution. The sole intent is to make you aware of current conditions within that facility that jeopardize not only the safety of the staff and inmates, but also of the community that surrounds the prison.

While the Kettle Moraine Management team is quick to tout their accomplishments via their Community Relations efforts, they are withholding the real facts from those of you who have the most reason to be concerned.

You may have heard about the current shortage of staff with the Wisconsin Department of Corrections, but it is highly unlikely that you have heard the real facts of the situation.

The current vacancy rate of Correctional Officers and Sergeants at Kettle Moraine is nearly 50 percent. That is in a facility that currently houses 1100 inmates in cottages with only one staff on duty to supervise 65 inmates.

The staff are routinely working 4 or 5 double shifts per week. Most shifts now have only one tower manned.

That tower is in the front of the prison and we all know that escapes are not often effected through the front door.

The Warden would lead you to belief that having one perimeter vehicle patrolling the mile and a half length of the fence is adequate to protect you and also downplays the problems that have undermined the fence alarm system.

The days of Kettle Moraine being considered a low security facility that houses inmates that have demonstrated good behavior or who have committed property crimes are long gone. Of the current 1100 inmates currently housed at Kettle Moraine, seventy-four percent have been convicted of VIOLENT offenses.

That coupled with drugs such as meth and cocaine that have been found inside the fence increase the concerns for the safety of the public.

Some of you may remember the horrendous situation that the Glick family survived when they were taken hostage by escapees from Kettle Moraine.

After being held captive for hours, they had their family dog shot before their eyes. That tragedy as well as other escapes where holes were cut in the fence is why seven armed guard towers and a second fence were erected at Kettle Moraine. Those towers stayed manned through the next several decades because of the efforts of the community and the staff who never wanted anyone else to experience such horror.

Having retired from the DOC after a 30 year career, including many years working as part of the DOC management team, I no longer have a vested interest in the Department of Corrections.

What I do have is a very deep concern for the wonderful staff that are still working at Kettle Moraine. And profound worry for the safety of my friends and neighbors that are working and recreating in the beautiful area that surrounds the facility.

Unfortunately the Wisconsin State Legislature does not appear to have any concern for the threat that grows stronger every day.

The staff of Kettle Moraine cannot step up to the plate to help either themselves or the surrounding area due to fear of reprisals, so it is up to each and every one of you to reach out to your legislatures and demand that something be done to rectify this dangerous situation.

I urge you to do so before you and your loved ones or customers become this decades’ hostages.

For more information, please contact us at advocatesforsaferwisprisons@gmail.com

Patricia Reese

Fond du Lac, WI


Response

Editor’s note: The Review forwarded Patricia Reese’s open letter to the Wisconsin Department of Corrections for any comment they wished to provide. The following information was provided by a spokesperson:

• KMCI is a medium security institution.

• At the end of the last pay period, the combined vacancy rate for officers and sergeants at KMCI was 45.6%. It is one of a few institutions with a rate above 40%, with a few more that have recently fallen below that line.

• DOC has seen mostly rising vacancy rates since 2010- 11. Since 2021, like many correctional agencies across the country, and many state agencies and businesses across various industries, DOC has struggled to fill positions. However, we have noted an increase in interest in our security positions since the beginning of this summer. Our two most recent Correctional Officer Pre-Service classes (including one last week) have been our largest of 2022. Correctional Officer application numbers started rising in June and were significantly higher through the summer than they were in the first five months of the year. An example:

-Correctional Officer applications combined in Feb and March – 166

-Correctional Officer applications combine in June and July – 326

The Evers Administration has pushed for better compensation for harder-to-fill positions, like DOC security staff. Through a series of salary add-ons, the starting hourly rate for some correctional institutions with higher vacancy rates is now $11/ hour more than it was at the beginning of the year. We think the pay improvements, led by this administration, are largely behind the increased interest in these positions.

• DOC has taken numerous steps to prevent illegal contraband, like drugs, from entering its facilities. This was a response to the increasing prevalence of K2 and other synthetic drugs. At the end of 2021, DOC switched to a third party mail vendor. Now all personal (non-protected) mail is sent to the vendor and photocopied, with the photocopy delivered to the institution.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.