In this week’s article, I would like to continue my yearend report by sharing some information and data regarding our Jail facility. The current Kewaunee County Jail was built in 1968. It has a housing capacity of 22 with three short-term holding cells which brings the total to 25. By law, a county jail is intended to hold sentenced individuals for up to one year. Any sentences beyond one year are remanded to a state correctional facility. While we do hold the title of the oldest and smallest jail in the State of Wisconsin, I am deeply grateful to the County Board and the community in general for the support that has been provided in regard to the planning and ultimate updating of our facility. I will keep providing updates on that planning process in upcoming articles as that process continues.
The Jail is staffed by 14 Deputies, who carry out the various duties that are set forth by state statute, federal law, as well as department policy. These men and women are also tasked with the duties of Dispatcher, which is very unique in the State of Wisconsin. I believe that there are only a handful of Departments that are still configured in this manner, and it speaks volumes as to the professionalism and competence of these men and women.
Every person arrested in Kewaunee County is processed through our jail, and the following are some of the most common criteria for bookings, which for 2023 were a total of 679 compared to 710 from the previous year.
The first is what we call non-custody bookings. These are bookings that occur when the individual is not physically arrested. This may be in the case where the offense was not immediately reported, and it is through investigations that the probable cause for an arrest summons was completed. It could also be where we are not able to locate the suspect at the time of the event, and we are able to send charges up to the District Attorney’s Office for his consideration. These bookings accounted for 276, as compared to 339 of the total bookings in 2022.
The next most frequent category is pre-sentence bookings which totaled 179, in comparison to 214 last year. These are bookings which are for those who are currently awaiting the completion of their court process but do not meet bail criteria. These can be some of our lengthiest stays as the legal process itself is complex and lengthy at times.
In third place, we have a tie between warrant pickups and probation holds. These two are actually quite similar as they are the result of a failure to comply with either a court order in the case of warrants or probation rules in the case of Community Corrections. These tend to be our shortest stays. But account for a great deal of the total bookings. If you have found yourself within the courts system it is vital that you understand and comply with the various court dates as well as requirements so as to avoid being one of the unfortunate within this category. The same is true for probation clients. Many of those on probation forget that this is a privilege and an alternative to incarceration, which brings with it many rules. It is incumbent on the individual to know and comply with these rules to avoid a return visit to jail or, in some cases, a state correctional facility.
So many ask what our daily population is here in Kewaunee County. As I stated earlier, our maximum capacity is 22, and for 2023 our daily population average was 34.84, with males representing 29.39 and females 5.45 throughout the year. as compared to 2021, which was 30.51, with males representing 26.24 and females 4.25 throughout the year. The average stay is approximately eight days, with the shortest stay at approximately one hour and the longest stay at 365 days.
To meet the daily overcrowding in our facility, we make use of two primary resources: out of county facilities, primarily Door County, and the use of electronic monitoring. For the most part, those who we send to Door County are female inmates, which take pressure off of our scheduling requirements to have both male and female staffing when we have females in our facility. Electronic monitoring is utilized for those who have been granted work release by the courts and meets the many requirements we have to guarantee compliance in return for this privilege. I want to acknowledge Lt. Chris VanErem, our Jail Administrator, for the amazing work that he and his staff do on a daily basis to balance the constant demands of the inmates, the courts, and the many regulations with the limited resources both in budget and facility.
Along with the duties of Jailer and Dispatcher, these men and women also facilitate all of the transports which are required not only locally but many times across the state to bring inmates to Kewaunee County for court as well as monitoring the Huber Program (Work Release) and Court Security. These men and women give multi tasking a whole new dimension, and we are fortunate to have them serving in these roles to keep our community safe. Contrary to some beliefs, these Deputies are Law Enforcement Officers just like their counterparts in Patrol and Investigations and are a vital component of the Criminal Justice System.
Next week I will share some information from 2023 as it relates to our Patrol Division.
