The Milwaukee Post

8 • Milwaukee County Post • July 7, 2017 A common-sense proposal to put criminals on probation back in jail when they commit new crimes while still on probation is lan- guishing in the state Legislature after being sandbagged by a state agency controlled by Gov. Scott Walker. In Washington, they're calling it "deep state," the name for the per- manent bureaucracy and power structure that tries to obstruct elected leaders (like President Donald Trump) from doing the will of the people. We don't have a good name for it in Wisconsin but the permanent bureaucracy here is real and it is toxic. This particular poison comes from the Wisconsin Department of Corrections, an agency that has done nothing but embarrass Walker in his tenure as governor. The agency is filled with liberal Madison hacks who resent Republicans and loathe calls to get tough on crime. The current head of the DOC is longtime Republican administrator Jon Litscher, who is either incapable, or unwilling, to cut the rotten part out of his department's apple. Litscher succeeded a guy whose tenure was so awful that state newspapers continue to trumpet the mess at the juvenile center at Lincoln Hills. I wanted to give Litscher the benefit of the doubt because he is respected and inherited a mess. But it is clear that Litscher is unwilling to fix anything at his agency. Walker seems either unable or unwilling to do anything about it. Back to the sandbagging. What happened here is a classic case of how entrenched bureaucrats decided that Republican law- makers, and crime-plagued Milwaukee-area residents, were not going to get a basic idea that they want: Put repeat bad guys back in jail. An enormous part of the crime problem in Milwaukee and the surrounding area is the number of repeat criminals who keep break- ing the law despite being caught. They are sentenced to probation or extended supervi- sion by lenient judges. The community cor- rections division of the department is in charge of monitoring these crooks on proba- tion and supervision. You'd think that vio- lating the terms of your probation and supervision would automatically get you tossed back in jail but not with our correc- tions department. According to the depart- ment's own figures, more than one-third of the individuals on probation or supervision are kept free even if they are caught com- mitting new crimes while under supervi- sion! State Sen. Leah Vukmir, R-Brookfield, and state Rep. Joe Sanfelippo, R-New Berlin, whose district extends into West Allis, intro- duced legislation to force the department to recommend revocation when these repeat criminals reoffend. The bill has been stalled in the state Assembly ever since the sand- bagging began. Here's the sandbag. The story is based on my open records request that details an agency in open rebellion against Republican lawmakers. Even though no one asked for one, DOC officials began work on a report detailing the cost of the Vukmir-Sanfelippo proposal. An employee named Emily Lindsay, a liberal member of the Middleton City Council, was charged with writing the report. It concluded that putting these crooks back in jail would cost the state a staggering $149 million a year. Republican Assembly Speaker Robin Vos flinched. His Assembly Corrections Committee chair, Michael Schraa of Neenah, has buried the bill in his committee. The problem is that Lindsay's report is comically wrong. She calculates the cost of putting every one of the individuals on pro- bation who commit new crimes back in prison and compares that number to doing nothing. Aside from not counting the cost of all the crime being committed by the hooli- gans being left on the street, Lindsay's report ignores the fact that the crooks are eventual- ly going back to jail anyway. When they are eventually convicted of the new crimes, they will likely — as repeaters — be sentenced to new prison terms. The Vukmir bill merely reincarcerates them in the meantime. The extra cost is minimal. Lindsay probably knows that but she and her bosses at the DOC were more interested in pushing their agenda than estimating actual costs. When I, weeks ago, asked DOC spokesman Tristan Cook who asked DOC to prepare the report, he initially claimed there were "inquiries from legislators." He refused to identify these "legislators" and no records exist to back up his claim. He later changed his cockamamie story to claiming it was requested by the Legislative Council, an agency that assists the Legislature. But my check of records reveals no such request. Cook, despite my pressing, has provided no evidence of any request from the Legislative Council, or anyone outside of the DOC, to come up with a fiscal estimate. It is clear the biased and misleading report was produced by corrections staffers to con- vince the Legislature to kill the bill. Governor Walker stated on my radio pro- gram weeks ago he supports the bill. But the agency he purportedly runs has spent weeks sabotaging the legislation and not telling the truth when caught. The next time some career criminal on probation kills somebody, despite repeatedly violating his release terms in the interim, you can blame Jon Litscher and his bleeding- heart Madison hacks in the bowels of the corrections bureaucracy. (Mark Belling is the host of a daily WISN radio talk show. His column appears weekly in the Milwaukee Post. Send your personal correspondences to Mark Belling at Clear Channel Communications, c/o WISN, 12100 W. Howard Ave., Greenfield, WI 53228). MARK BELLING STANDING UP for MILWAUKEE State agency works behind scenes to kill plan to put chronic criminals back in jail OPINION Last week's question What should be done to prevent Asian carp from getting into the Great Lakes and wreaking havoc on the ecosystem? One such carp was recently found within 9 miles of Lake Michigan in the Chicago area. Or, what's you favorite summer getaway? The federal Environmental Protection Agency should require Chicago to close the canal into Lake Michigan or, at the very least, place a lock-like structure in the canal with sanitation, netting and shocking in place to keep these invasive species out of the lake. The barge industry should not be allowed to exercise undue influence over the health of this freshwater basin that supplies drinking water to millions. Secondly, both the EPA and state departments of natural resources need to step up and enforce the laws and regulations for clean water. This has been mishandled under the current administration. — Patricia Jursik Cudahy * * * Action on the Asian carp issue is long overdue. The Great Lakes are not a parochial Illinois concern, but rather an international ecological treasure. Once there is a breeding population of Asian carp in Lake Michigan, it will be too late. Clearly, the electronic barriers are not working. It is time to separate the canal system that connects the Mississippi with Lake Michigan. Anything less is just a Band-Aid fix that will eventually allow for the destruction of our Great Lakes. It seems to me that the Illinois politi- cians have been carrying water for the barge operators rather than standing with the future. — Sandy Sue Szanderek Bay View * * * I don't think there is much more that can be safely done for the pre- vention of invading Asian carp into Lake Michigan. Once they get a foothold, it's all over. My suggestion is: Learn 100 ways to prepare Asian carp. — Joseph Zmuda Milwaukee This week's question If you had a magic wand, what would you change about your municipality, state or country? Editor's note: Please include your full name with spelling, phone number and city where you live. Phone num- bers will not be published. Call 744-6370, Ext. 15 and leave a brief answer. Readers may also send an email with a brief answer to: dmuck@conleynet.com. Question of the week

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