Jail at any cost?
By Antone Jenkins
Director of Chaplainry Milwaukee County Jail
“Nobody is in jail because they committed a crime; they are in jail because they don’t have any money,” I declared at the Benedict Center Workshop April 11.
“That’s a load of crap,” called out a lone angry voice.
“I’m glad you agree,” I responded to my new adversary, co0opting her angry disbelief and redirecting it at a pretrial detention system where hundreds of men, women and children who have not been proven guilty sit in jail at taxpayers’ expense, where the cost of incarceration is far more than the penalty they face … if convicted.
For example, a prisoner I’ll call Ms. Hadnot approached me, as Director of Chaplains in the Milwaukee County Jail, to inquire if I knew of anyone that could help her post bail.
Hadnot said she was in jail for retail theft, a misdemeanor (nonviolent) offense, and that her bail was $50. She had been in jail for one week, her two children were in ‘foster care’ and she had no stable family or friends in the city. I told Hadnot I would contact the Benedict Center’s Harm Reduction Program to see if staff could advocate for her pretrial release to the Program.
Now let me address the economics of Hadnot’s one week of incarceration in dollars and sense. The numbers: bail, $50; cost of keeping Hadnot in the Jail for one week, approximately $700; Health and Human Services (foster care) cost, approximately $1,800.
The total economic cost of keeping Hadnot incarcerated for one week, approximately $2,500; the human cost of forcibly separating the children from their mother, priceless.
I’m not good with numbers game, but I have enough sense to know that it doesn’t make good sense to keep an offender in jail for any length of time for a minor offense. At some point in the criminal justice process, Hadnot, through her public defender (also provided at taxpayer expense), will plea-bargain her case to a small fine and community service. Hadnot’s main problem is that she needs to feed her children and her drug habit.
I’m not minimizing Hadnot’s responsibility for taking care of herself and her children without causing harm to her community, but I am critical of the criminal justice system and its notice for keeping persons locked up at enormous taxpayer expense, and the lack of public out cry regarding this policy in the face of record deficits in government spending.
Compare Hadnot to another person who was ultimately convicted in the murder of a young disabled man a few years ago in Oak Creek. Let’s call this man Mr. Haad. Haad was charged initially with being “party to the crime of first-degree reckless homicide.” Haad is the son of middle class parents who share some success in political circles. Bail for Haad was about $10,000 and was posted by his family within hours of his arrest. Haad had a ‘paid’ lawyer with a significantly lower caseload than the public defender.
Back to my original statement: “Nobody is in jail for committing a crime; they are in jail because they don’t have any money.”
We’re comparing an accused shoplifter and an accused murderer, a nonviolent and a violent charge, a poor mother and a privileged young man, one incarcerated for one week and one free within hours of his arrest. What is the real difference between these two defendants? Money! Money makes the difference between sitting in jail and being free.
By Antone Jenkins
Director of Chaplainry Milwaukee County Jail
“Nobody is in jail because they committed a crime; they are in jail because they don’t have any money,” I declared at the Benedict Center Workshop April 11.
“That’s a load of crap,” called out a lone angry voice.
“I’m glad you agree,” I responded to my new adversary, co0opting her angry disbelief and redirecting it at a pretrial detention system where hundreds of men, women and children who have not been proven guilty sit in jail at taxpayers’ expense, where the cost of incarceration is far more than the penalty they face … if convicted.
For example, a prisoner I’ll call Ms. Hadnot approached me, as Director of Chaplains in the Milwaukee County Jail, to inquire if I knew of anyone that could help her post bail.
Hadnot said she was in jail for retail theft, a misdemeanor (nonviolent) offense, and that her bail was $50. She had been in jail for one week, her two children were in ‘foster care’ and she had no stable family or friends in the city. I told Hadnot I would contact the Benedict Center’s Harm Reduction Program to see if staff could advocate for her pretrial release to the Program.
Now let me address the economics of Hadnot’s one week of incarceration in dollars and sense. The numbers: bail, $50; cost of keeping Hadnot in the Jail for one week, approximately $700; Health and Human Services (foster care) cost, approximately $1,800.
The total economic cost of keeping Hadnot incarcerated for one week, approximately $2,500; the human cost of forcibly separating the children from their mother, priceless.
I’m not good with numbers game, but I have enough sense to know that it doesn’t make good sense to keep an offender in jail for any length of time for a minor offense. At some point in the criminal justice process, Hadnot, through her public defender (also provided at taxpayer expense), will plea-bargain her case to a small fine and community service. Hadnot’s main problem is that she needs to feed her children and her drug habit.
I’m not minimizing Hadnot’s responsibility for taking care of herself and her children without causing harm to her community, but I am critical of the criminal justice system and its notice for keeping persons locked up at enormous taxpayer expense, and the lack of public out cry regarding this policy in the face of record deficits in government spending.
Compare Hadnot to another person who was ultimately convicted in the murder of a young disabled man a few years ago in Oak Creek. Let’s call this man Mr. Haad. Haad was charged initially with being “party to the crime of first-degree reckless homicide.” Haad is the son of middle class parents who share some success in political circles. Bail for Haad was about $10,000 and was posted by his family within hours of his arrest. Haad had a ‘paid’ lawyer with a significantly lower caseload than the public defender.
Back to my original statement: “Nobody is in jail for committing a crime; they are in jail because they don’t have any money.”
We’re comparing an accused shoplifter and an accused murderer, a nonviolent and a violent charge, a poor mother and a privileged young man, one incarcerated for one week and one free within hours of his arrest. What is the real difference between these two defendants? Money! Money makes the difference between sitting in jail and being free.
