WisPolitics Budget Blog

Milwaukee Democratic Rep. Pedro Colon criticized the "dumping" of sex offenders into certain areas, saying his Assembly district has a disproportionate number.

GPS tracking, Colon said, "may provide a lot of comfort, but in the long run may not provide any significant treatment" for offenders. "We may need to do something radically different," said a frustrated Colon.

"I don't know if we're hustling enough," said a frustrated Colon.

Corrections Secretary Frank defended the effort of his staff, saying the state's sex offender registry grows by 100 people per month. He said the department makes every effort not to "dump" sex offenders in any given area, but offenders often return to the neighborhoods they resided in before incarceration.

Colon was skeptical. "The fact is you have agreements with slumlords where you have taken these people," he said, citing a rooming house across the street from his home.

Labels: Colon, Frank, GPS

Rep. Scott Suder took a moment to emphasize that the bill he helped champion in the Legislature last year was aimed to go after "the most dangerous and likely to re-offend" sex offenders.

"Some have a 70 percent change of striking again," said Suder. "That is why it is so important we maintain lifetime tracking."

Gov. Doyle signed the bill last year, but has changed some of the tracking requirements in his budget proposal.

Labels: GPS, Suder

Rep. Mark Pocan, who was a vocal critic of the sex offender GPS tracking bill, said the changes made to the legislation in the governor's budget provides a workable model for the policy.

"We pass bills ... you actually have to implement them," Pocan said to Frank.

Pocan said it was "wise" to tie the limits of monitoring with the terms of parole or probation supervision. The Madison Democrat added he believes GPS won't stop offenders from recidivism, it would only provide information on the offenders whereabouts after the crime has been committed.

Pocan also asked whether the state has any intention to renew a contract with the Corrections Corporation of America, the outfit that the state used to house inmates out of state due to in-state overcrowding. The contract expired last year, and all out-of-state inmates have been moved back inside Wisconsin's borders.

Frank said there are no plans to pursue another contract with CCA, and the state's policy is now to work with county sheriff's to acquire additional beds. "At this time, we don't have any intent to move people out of state," Frank said.

Labels: Corrections, GPS, Pocan

Corrections Secretary Frank said that GPS is only one part of the continuum for tracking sex offenders. He said the department's plan ties the tracking with home visits and other measures by probation and parole agents. Problems arise after an offender has completed their probation term and the home visits cease, Frank said.

He said the department is committed to the tracking program, but welcomes the discretion allowed to the department to determine the level of tracking. "I'm confident putting that discretion in the hands of our agents," he said. "We make those judgments every day as to how to supervise an offender."

Frank said Wisconsin is on the cutting edge of GPS tracking, and while they can learn from other states' policies, "in some places they're still searching for the right way to do it."

Labels: Corrections, Frank, GPS, Suder

Rep. Scott Suder, one of the lead sponsors of a bill that was signed by Gov. Doyle last year to implement lifetime GPS tracking of sex offenders, ripped the changes to the bill written into the new budget.

Suder said the budget removes some lifetime tracking requirements, and moves from an active to a passive tracking strategy. "I vehemently disagree with that approach," he said.

Twelve other states have adopted GPS tracking similar to those passed last year in Wisconsin, and he said there have been no constitutional challenges to those requirements. He said tracking "is not about punishing sex offenders, it is about public safety."

"What the governor has done places children at risk," he said.

Suder said fiscal concerns can be allayed. "If money is truly a concern, we will find a way to fund this because I believe it is extremely important," he said.

Labels: Corrections, GPS, Suder