Milwaukee Secure Detention Facility

The following and more can be viewed HERE. (This complies with copyright laws, it is a direct cited source reference. Thank You ;) It is simply an intro to the facility and is obviously public information.)

I would also like to add a footnote to the site the source but the source itself lacks information throughout the pages and even in the source code itself. (With the minor exception of http://www.wi-doc.com/legalnotices.htm which does not pertain here.) If you are an author or otherwise please contact me at prison.gates@gmail.com so this can properly be cited.


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Mr. John Husz, Warden
1015 North 10th Street
P.O. Box 05740
Milwaukee, WI 53205-0740
414-212-3535
FAX 414-212-6811

INSTITUTION MISSION STATEMENT

The Milwaukee Secure Detention Facility protects the public by detention, accountability and programming of adult inmates in a safe and secure institution while remaining committed to the goals of successful reintegration to the community.

INSTITUTION INFORMATION

The Milwaukee Secure Detention Facility (MSDF) is a high-rise, medium security correctional facility in downtown Milwaukee. Although it is statutorily an adult institution, MSDF functions in a similar manner to that of a jail operation. Unlike other Department of Corrections institutions, MSDF accepts offenders 24 hours a day, and has an intake booking/objective classification process closely resembling that of a county jail.

The Milwaukee Secure Detention Facility was built to meet the specific needs of Probation and Parole, knowing that public safety is best served when a non-compliant offender can be held in secure detention for a period of time pending investigation of an alleged violation. During this time, the alleged violation can be investigated and the offender can be placed into programming, including appropriate treatment. Following this placement, some offenders may return to the community while others may be revoked and sentenced to a period of confinement. The operational philosophy of the facility is unit management – the inmates stay on their assigned floors and services are brought to the housing units on the floors.

The uniqueness of this institution has attracted interest from around the United States. There are very few high rise detention facilities throughout the country. The ones that exist typically do not provide the programming and collaboration with the community that MSDF does; something that the Wisconsin Department of Corrections feels is an important component to offender change and public safety.

The Milwaukee Secure Detention Facility has a capacity of 1,040 felony offenders, with beds designated for male (as well as 42 beds for female) offenders who have been on supervision in the community and are pending investigation of probation or parole violations. There are also 210 beds used to provide Alcohol and Other Drug Addiction (AODA) programming, focusing on Alternatives to Revocation (ATRs). The average stay in the general holding cells is 67 days. The average stay in the AODA ATR program is 3 months.

ANNUAL REPORTS

Additional information on MSDF can be found in their annual reports."

Annual reports and other information can be found on the source page.

Where am I Going?

Written on April 4, 2011,

   I know it's been a while since I wrote anything worth while. Things have been pretty laid-back for the most part. I admittedly have spent quite a bit of time on the phone with my family, watching T.V., and listening to the radio. I spent the majority of every day doing those things.

   Yesterday I was told to pack up to leave on Tuesday, April 5^th. They won't tell me where I'm going, but from what I was told at DCI, I'll be going back there for an overnighter, only to leave the next day to Milwaukee Secure Detention Facility (MSDF) to start my Earned Release Program. I start on April 18^th, so my estimated release date will be on around October 20^th, 2011. I've been notified that I cannot have candy, coffee, or noodles at MSDF, so today I made a few trades and even a bet with another inmate. I said I bet he couldn't rub a significant amount of prescription strength muscle rub on his genitals and leave it on. I bet a bag of coffee that he couldn't do it. Well, he actually made it! After the first 15 minutes of agonizing pain, he said it subsided. So he got a “free” bag of coffee for it. That was our cheap fun for the day.

   I know I haven't written much, but I didn't think readers would care much about the television shows I've been watching or the music I've been listening to. As soon as I get to MSDF and there is structure and organized living again, I will attempt to regain the regularity of my daily logs. My program will be my top priority, but beyond that, I will have more to write about there. Those of you who have sent any questions, I will be getting to those soon as well. I appreciate the interest everyone has shown in my Life Inside the Prison Gates. 

More to come soon.

~J. Doe

There's an Old Prison Superstition

Written on March 9, 2011,

   Today started off like any other day in Dodge. After lunch I got ready for Rec. But before I could go, the Sgt. came and told me I couldn't go. I asked why I couldn't go and he told me I was leaving in the morning at 6:00AM so I needed to pack up. A few minutes later he came back with a couple of paper bags to put my belongings into, so I asked him where I was going. He told me CCI (Columbia Correctional Institute) in Portage, WI. So I checked the Blue Book. It's the book showing the details for all prisons and other institutions in WI and it showed that CCI was a maximum-security prison. I'm like, “Great! I ask for minimum and they give me maximum! It's listed that I'm minimum security, so I don't understand.” Well, after a little more asking around, I found out there is a medium-security barracks-style building on the grounds at CCI. It's a temporary holding facility. The Sgt. also told me I am scheduled to come back to Dodge at the beginning of April, then I'm off again to MSDF (Milwaukee Secure Detention Facility) on April 6^th. I start my AODA program on April 18^th according to my paperwork. So anyhow, I packed up everything I had to take with me. I couldn't bring any open food or hygiene items though. After I packed, I waited for them to come get me so they could go through my things while they box them up and seal the boxes.

   All day long I waited, and even asked the Sgt. a few times if he knew what was going on. He said he'd check into it and made a few phone calls for me, but had no luck. He didn't find out anything. Come 8:00PM he came back to my cell and asked if they had come and packed my stuff yet since he had gone on break. I told him no. He said, “Maybe they will do it in the morning instead.” I just shrugged and said, “I hope so!” Later we did standing count and once they finished shift change, I asked the 3^rd shift Sgt. if he knew what was going on with my stuff being packed. He said he didn't know anything, but he did know that nothing would be happening tonight. Well I guess I got my answer then. So I laid back down to read the rest of the book I was reading. I hate not finishing a book. There's an old prison superstition that says “If you don't finish the book you're reading, you'll be back to finish it!” Well needless to say, I don't want to come back to finish it!

   Around 11:30PM the Sgt. Came with a Captain in a white shirt and another Sgt. To pack my things. They had no idea why it hadn't been done, but I knew I was leaving at 6:00AM and it had to be done before I left. They had to handcuff me to let me out of my cell since it was 3^rd shift, so I stuck my hands through the trapdoor and they locked 'em on and let me out. We carried my two bags to the back where they had boxes. Each item had to be counted and documented on a packing form. They didn't let me bring my open soap, shampoo, or conditioner. So instead of throwing it out, the Captain said he'd let me bring it back to my cell. He couldn't give me permission to break the rules and give it to another inmate, but he'd allow me to “Forget it in my cell.” After we finished, I signed the form and went back to my cell to finish my book. They took my cuffs back and said they would see me in the morning. I tried reading the rest of my book but my mind kept wandering so I just read the last page of each chapter and got the end of it like that. Then I went to bed.

Until tomorrow...

~J. Doe