Milwaukee County Jail inmate tablet messaging suspended
MILWAUKEE - The Milwaukee County Sheriff's Office has suspended the messaging feature on tablets supplied to jail inmates, the agency announced Tuesday.
Jail inmate tablets
What we know:
Inmates will still be able to use tablets for legal research, education and entertainment. They can still connect with family and friends through phone calls, video visitation and in-person visits.
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MCSO said the decision to pause the messaging feature will allow the agency to review protocols – and put new ones in place – in response to confirmed incidents of inmates inappropriately using the feature to contact potential witnesses in their criminal cases.
Dig deeper:
According to the sheriff's office, the tablets do not have internet access and cannot make phone or video calls. Messages can only be exchanged with verified recipients, and inmates have limited daily access to the devices. Inmates and their families – not county taxpayers – fund tablet services through fees.
Milwaukee County Jail
What's next:
The sheriff's office said the messaging feature will remain suspended until it is confident that any protocol changes will protect victims and witnesses without compromising security.
What we don't know:
MCSO did not outline what its existing protocols for inmate tablet use include. It's not clear when any changes to existing protocols would take effect.
Community Reintegration Center
The backstory:
As Milwaukee County executive, David Crowley signed off on the tablet program in 2022. Last Friday, he paused messaging on tablets at the Community Reintegration Center, the county's other adult detention facility.
Crowley at the time urged the same for the Milwaukee County Jail. The CRC, formerly known as the House of Corrections, is under the county executive's authority through an appointed superintendent. The jail is under the authority of the independently elected sheriff.
Crowley vs. Tiffany
Big picture view:
Numerous cases of inmate tablet misuse have been put in the spotlight recently. In September, Crowley's opponent in the gubernatorial race, Republican U.S. Rep. Tom Tiffany, called out Crowley for not taking action.
One of the cases of alleged misuse involved Damian Luis Cosme-Torres. Prosecutors charged him with intimidating the victim in a strangulation and battery case against him. The charging document said he sent messages urging the victim to drop the charges, and prosecutors said he tried calling the victim with 2,439 call attempts from April 4 through Sept. 13.
Wisconsin governor race: Flock cameras, inmate tablets in the spotlight
Milwaukee County bags its Flock cameras. The county leases 42 Flock cameras, including 14 by the lakefront, and the others watched from other county parkland. Now, those cameras are covered with black plastic bags.
Report unwanted messages
What you can do:
Anyone who believes an inmate contacted them against their wishes can report it to the sheriff's office and request that the inmate be blocked from using the feature. A form can be filled out online. Message recipients can also delete the app to stop receiving messages at any time, for any reason. Messages remain preserved even if the app is deleted.
Official statements
What they're saying:
FOX6 News will provide statements on the decision below in the order they were received.
Milwaukee County Sheriff Denita Ball:
"Victims and witnesses must be able to take part in the justice system without fear. These tablets were put in place to help occupants stay connected to family, legal resources and support systems that can influence a reduction in recidivism. When even a small number of people misuse that access to threaten others and further break the law, we have a responsibility to act. Pausing messaging gives us the time to review our controls and reduce misuse and abuse of this technology."
The Source: Information in this story is from the Milwaukee County Sheriff's Office and prior FOX6 News coverage, including details from the Office of the Milwaukee County Executive.