MILWAUKEE — A review of the Milwaukee County Jail is due to the County Board of Supervisors on Friday. In May, the board approved a resolution asking the Milwaukee County Sheriff's Office to review policies, procedures, and practices at the jail. It was spurred after four in-custody deaths in just about nine months.
There was no indication that report had been submitted by late afternoon on Friday.
"I'm hoping that this report will reveal that we truly are taking a humane approach to how we engage with the residents that are in our care and that we will do everything possible to not only keep our residents safe, but also to keep our team our staff safe as well because it's a double edged sword," Supervisor Felesia Martin said on Friday.
"Know that we are on top of it and this is not going to be the end receiving the report. That's when the work truly begins in building a safe environment," Martin said.
In June of 2022, Brieon Green died by suicide while at the jail. In December of 2022, Cilivea Thyrion also died by suicide while behind bars.
Thyrion's mom is still processing the loss.
"It's been the hardest thing, and everything reminds me of her," Kerrie Hirte shared nearly eight months after her daughter's death.
In January of 2023, Octaviano Juarez-Corro was found dead, again it was ruled a suicide. Then in March, Terrance Mack was found dead in his cell.
All of the cases since June 2022 have been investigated by outside agencies. A correctional officer was charged with misconduct in public office relating to Juarez-Corro's death.
"We're seeing so many tragedies inside that jail, so what's really going on?" asked Alan Chavoya with the Milwaukee Alliance Against Racist and Political Reppression.
According to the Sheriff's Office, 13 people have died while in custody at the jail since 2018. Six were ruled suicide and seven were related to pre-existing conditions.
"All this resolution does is ask nicely for the sheriff to give us information which should already be publicly available," County Supervisor Ryan Clancy said back in May when the resolution was passed.
Chavoya believes a lot of issues will come up in the review, although he's not sure if it will lead to solutions.
"I'm really not too hopeful about getting answers, but I think it's a step in the right direction," Chavoya said.
The Sheriff's Office has often pointed to staffing shortages. At one point this year, the jail needed to fill 100 vacancies.
County Supervisor Felesia Martin showed her support for the review back in May but also wanted to bring attention to the staffing shortages the jail has faced for years.
"Working at depreciated capacity, unfortunately, these types of incidents will happen when a person is now working 20 hours and they're not able to go home and get adequate rest. I'm not making any excuses by far, but we also want to give a clear and accurate picture of what is happening in our facilities," Martin said at the May 25 meeting.
The review asks for information on policies and procedures for how the jail deals with mental health and suicide prevention. It also asks for information on the budget, internal disciplinary investigations, third-party investigations, and other information about practices.
In a statement given to TMJ4 News on Thursday, the Sheriff's Office said: "The Milwaukee County Sheriff's Office is working with the Milwaukee County Office of Corporation Council to respond to the review questions. This agency will continue to work toward and seek best practices that ensure the safety of occupants, workers and volunteers at the Milwaukee County Jail."
Preventing another death is all Cilivea's mom wants.
"If nothing changes, more people are going to die. That's not fair to families, it's not fair to friends and it's not fair to communities," Hirte said.
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