27 inmates charged in barricade of Milwaukee County Jail library
Prosecutors have charged 27 men after they barricaded themselves inside a Milwaukee County Jail library in August at a time when elected officials, attorneys and activists have called attention to worsening conditions in the facility.
Correctional officers used pepper spray and broke a library window to end the nearly two-hour-long barricade Aug. 12, according to a criminal complaint. One officer went to the hospital with a "soft-tissue" injury, and three others were treated on-site for exposure to pepper spray.
An officer also struck an inmate several times with a baton when he noticed a man turn toward him with a closed fist, but the complaint does not detail any injuries suffered by 27 men charged in the incident.
The Milwaukee County Jail has been in crisis as its navigated an unprecedented worker shortage, long lockdowns and a string of in-custody deaths and suicides since 2020.
"Jails, generally, can be difficult settings for both workers and occupants," James Burnett, a spokesperson for the Milwaukee County Sheriff's Office, said in a statement about the latest incident. "It is important for the safety of all that order is maintained."
Inmates covered windows, refused to leave library
The 27 men were residents of housing pod 6C at the jail, covered the library windows with paper and refused to leave, according to the complaint.
The jail went into lockdown about 1 p.m. in response, and efforts from supervisors and the jail director to negotiate with the inmates weren't successful, according to the complaint and a statement from the Milwaukee County Sheriff's Office.
"The barricaded inmates refused all commands, refused to open the door, refused to uncover the windows, and threatened jail staff," the complaint said.
About 2:30 p.m., once other inmates from the housing pod were evacuated, the officers used pepper spray under the library door, the complaint said. One or more inmates then broke the sprinkler system, causing the library to flood.
About 2:45 p.m., an officer broke a library window and another sprayed pepper spray. The "Correctional Emergency Response Team" entered the room and "secured" the 27 inmates, the complaint said.
One officer was taken to the hospital for a "soft-tissue injury," and three other officers were treated on-site for exposure to pepper spray. The inmates were also treated for exposure to the spray.
The inmates barricaded themselves after voicing "dissatisfaction with their gymnasium time coming to an end," the sheriff's office said. They also said they wanted more open recreation time.
Inmates charged with misdemeanors
Each of the 27 people was charged with obstructing an officer, as a party to a crime, and disorderly conduct, both misdemeanors. They range in age from 17 to 57, according to a criminal complaint.
An inmate advocacy group placed the blame on the conditions inside the jail and said the sheriff's office was not being transparent about the incident. The Milwaukee Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression called attention to the several recent deaths inside the jail, lockdowns, high phone call costs and other issues.
"The disastrous conditions inside the County Jail are not the result of staffing issues or a budgetary shortage. These conditions are due to years of neglect, mismanagement, and ineptitude from the MCSO and the various sheriffs who have refused to hold themselves accountable," the group said in a statement.
Four in-custody deaths have occurred at the jail in about the last year, with three occurring after Denita Ball took over the top spot at the sheriff's office in January and also while she was serving as interim sheriff after former Sheriff Earnell Lucas' departure in October 2022. There were at least five deaths during Lucas' tenure, with Ball as his deputy sheriff, between 2018 and 2022.
County Board Supervisor and State Rep. Ryan Clancy, a frequent critic of the sheriff’s office, said the incident was “entirely preventable." He emphasized the 27 defendants barricaded themselves without harming anyone but were met with “pepper spray and beatings” by deputies.
“Civil disobedience is an understandable response to the horrific conditions in the jail which have been ignored or deliberately created by the Sheriff’s Office for years,” he said in a statement.
State Rep. Darrin Madison, who sits on the Assembly Committee on Corrections along with Clancy, said, “This situation is a reminder to all elected officials that we must examine and improve the horrific conditions of care for incarcerated people. If we want people in our care to live thriving, productive lives in our communities, we must ensure that they are treated with dignity while they are incarcerated.”
Conditions at the jail have raised alarm for years
A year ago, a Journal Sentinel investigation found severe staffing shortages at the jail, which put the jail in violation of the court-ordered consent decree reached in 2001 after several people in the jail sued over dangerous conditions.
At that same time, there were ongoing reports from hunger strikes, lockdowns of 21 hours or more, nonexistent mental health care and lags in receiving medication. Inmates and advocates have also previously raised alarm about the cost of maintaining contact with those housed at the jail, after a report showed that families have paid $5.1 million per year for calls with loved ones in the jail.
The lockdowns have continued, however, with inmates kept in their cells between 6 p.m. and 10 a.m. due to current short staffing at the jail.
To date, the jail has roughly 140 correctional officers working there — just over half of the 251 positions that are authorized. Twenty to 23 deputies also work there to help relieve staffing shortages, according to Carlos Bruno, president of the Milwaukee Deputy Sheriffs' Association.
"It's complete chaos," Bruno told the Journal Sentinel. "We're also assisting the jailers now because the jail can't keep up with hiring and staffing."
And it's about to get worse.
Bruno warned of a "mass exodus" with 15 deputies set to retire from the Sheriff's Office Jan 1.
"We're not going to be able to to stay afloat. We're going to keep sinking and it's going to be with (Republican National Convention) coming around the corner," he said.
A record of suicides at the jail
Amid the staffing shortages, conditions for inmates with serious mental health issues are a growing cause of concern.
Investigations into the suicides of 21-year-old Brieon Green, who strangled himself with a phone cord while in booking in June of last year, and 20-year-old Cilivea Thyrion, who choked to death on an adult diaper while housed in a special needs pod in December of last year, did not result in any criminal charges.
Earlier this year, 37-year-old Terrance Mack, was found unresponsive in his cell during a medical check.
In April, sheriff's jail officer Laquisha N. Cowser, who was accused of lying about performing routine cell safety checks, was charged in the January death of 49-year-old Octaviano Juarez-Corro.
Between January 2020 and April 2021, the jail reported four in-custody deaths. Three of the cases were investigated as suicides, with the cause of the death for the fourth individual determined as acute heart failure. Three guards involved in two of those incidents were fired or resigned.
The Milwaukee County Board of Supervisors authorized a review into the jail's policies, procedures and practices for suicide prevention, mental and physical health assessments, and training and staffing.
The review ultimately offered recommendations in order to improve monitoring individuals on suicide watch at the jail.
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This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Milwaukee County Jail inmates charged in library barricade
