Criminal Justice
Is under-staffing really what’s wrong with Milwaukee’s County Jail?
As questions have grown over conditions in the Milwaukee County Jail – where six people have died over the past 14 months – citizens have demanded an explanation for the continued deaths even as city and county leaders, including the county executive, mayor and sheriff have changed. The Milwaukee County Sheriff has blamed staffing shortages […]
U.S. attorney general defends Hunter Biden investigation under questioning by House GOP
WASHINGTON — U.S. House Republicans led by Ohio’s Jim Jordan on Wednesday grilled U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland about how the Justice Department has handled its investigation and prosecution of Hunter Biden on felony gun charges. The questions about the president’s son came after House Speaker Kevin McCarthy last week asked several committees, including the […]
Federal case sheds light on payroll fraud, wage theft and worker misclassification
A Wisconsin drywall contractor was sentenced to 18 months in federal prison last month on charges of ripping off state and federal taxpayers to the tune of more than a half-million dollars. The case in federal court was a rarity — the first big prosecution in the state of a construction labor broker for payroll […]
Wisconsin Supreme Court hears arguments in case on allowing prior sexual assault as evidence
The Wisconsin Supreme Court heard arguments in the first criminal case of its new term Wednesday, weighing if prior sexual assaults should be allowed to be used as evidence in sexual assault cases. The case, Wisconsin v. Seaton, involves a man accused of sexually assaulting his 17-year-old friend after she had been drinking. The man […]
Unrest in Milwaukee jail underscores chronic problems
“When you get to a point where you can’t take no more, you go to the extreme to do what you got to do to literally draw attention,” says Sylvester Jackson, a Milwaukee-area activist who focuses on mass incarceration. Jackson was reflecting on recent charges against 27 people held within the Milwaukee County jail. Officials […]
Judge sets March trial date in Trump federal election interference case
WASHINGTON — The federal trial in the case accusing former President Donald Trump of knowingly lying about the 2020 presidential election results and trying to overturn them will begin in March, a federal judge said Monday. U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan, who waived Trump’s appearance for the first hearing, scheduled jury selection to begin March […]
Activists in Milwaukee brace for Republican debate, RNC
On Wednesday evening, the city of Milwaukee will be the site of the first Republican presidential primary debate, one year before the city plays host to the Republican National Convention (RNC). Hotel rooms downtown are filling, charging higher rates to accommodate the politicians, pundits and security teams that have been arriving ahead of the debate. […]
Investigation highlights conditions at Waupun prison
Conditions at the Waupun Correctional Institution (WCI), one of the Badger State’s several over-crowded prisons, have become intolerable for the nearly 1,000 people incarcerated there, according to a Wisconsin Watch investigation in partnership with the New York Times. Since prison officials began a lockdown four months ago, people held at Waupun – the state’s oldest […]
Office of School Safety finds one-time funding for the 2023-24 school year
The Wisconsin Department of Justice has secured additional funding for the Office of School Safety (OSS) for the 2023-24 school year after Republican lawmakers decided not to increase the office’s funding in the state budget. The OSS was facing the potential of dramatic cuts, after Republican lawmakers rejected calls to provide adequate funds in the […]
Stifling prison heat used to be just a Southern problem. Not anymore.
While sweltering heat in prisons without air conditioning has long been an issue in the South, extreme heat waves worsened by climate change are expanding the problem into Northern states. In recent years, Michigan, Minnesota, South Dakota, Washington and Wisconsin have seen extreme heat in prisons. Many of these states lack the necessary infrastructure for […]
Fulton grand jury indicts Trump, members of his inner circle
This story was updated at 11:20 p.m. Monday, Aug. 14, 2023. Former President Donald Trump and several members of his inner circle were indicted Monday in Fulton County’s sweeping investigation into 2020 election interference. Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis is expected to discuss the grand jury’s felony conspiracy and racketeering charges being levied against […]
Internal investigation follows Kenosha PD arrest of wrong man
An arrest made by police officers in late July is now the subject of a Kenosha Police Department internal investigation in response to video of the incident that circulated showing officers holding and striking the man on the ground after taking a crying infant from his arms. Officers were pursuing a man believed to be […]