A system that allows a rapist sentenced to 20 years to be back on the street in five. They don't see justice in a system where virtually every criminal -- by law -- must be released well short of serving his entire sentence.
Our officers are better than ever at catching criminals. But only too often these officers see the same criminals - whom they've risked their lives to arrest -- back on the streets after serving a mere fraction of their sentence.
Ladies and gentlemen of the Legislature, the people are right. Our criminal justice system breeds distrust in its lack of consistency and maze of criminal-coddling legalities.
It's time to make it right.
I'm proposing today a fundamental, top-to-bottom restructuring of our entire criminal justice system.
We can rebuild public confidence by imposing strict sentences; expanding the beds in our corrections system; and reducing recidivism through expanded prison work programs.
Perhaps the most important change we are making is to our sentencing and parole system -- a relic from the turn of the century that makes virtually every criminal eligible for parole after serving just 25 percent of his sentence.... And provides for the release of most criminals after serving just two-thirds of their sentence.
Today, I am calling for absolute truth in sentencing. Eliminate mandatory release. And abolish the charade of parole.
If you're sentenced to 20 years in prison, you serve 20 years. Period. And the only mandatory release comes after 100 percent of the prison sentence is served. No exceptions.
If a judge thinks a crime deserves a 10-year prison sentence, that's exactly what the judge hands down. No more 40-year sentences for 10 years behind bars. It should no longer be left up to unelected parole commissioners to decide when a convict is released. That's what judges are elected for and that's what they should do.
The days of the parole board are numbered.
Not only will we make criminals complete their full sentences, we will require them to serve an extended period of strict supervision afterwards.
We are requiring judges to impose a strict term of confinement in prison and also impose an extended period of supervision after the sentence is completely served. The extended supervision must amount to at least 25 percent of the prison sentence.
Therefore, if a judge sentences a criminal to 20 years in prison, that inmate will serve the full 20 years in prison and then serve 5 years of extended supervision -- meaning he will remain in the corrections system for at least 25 years. If the rules of that extended supervision are violated, it's back to prison.
And absolute truth in sentencing means: No more time off for good behavior!
Under the new system, if an inmate does not behave properly, prison officials can extend his stay in prison. This means a prisoner who behaves violently could turn his 20-year prison sentence into 25 years behind bars, including time in the Super Max.
We are replacing time off for good behavior with more time in for bad behavior.
We back up our strict sentencing system with a commitment to create the necessary beds to keep criminals confined. Our budget addresses the crowding in our corrections system by adding nearly 4,400 beds to our corrections system.
This budget provides 494 more corrections staff for the 2,241 more beds that are ready to come on line in our corrections system this biennium.
I am also calling for the construction of new corrections facilities -- a 1,000 bed prison for the state as well as a 600-bed probation and parole facility for Southeastern Wisconsin. The probation facility will include 200 beds for alcohol and drug treatment.
To help ease overcrowding in our corrections system, we will pursue two new programs for confining convicts.
We will pursue a contract with a private prison in Appleton, Minnesota, to house up to 500 of our criminals. This is a fast, safe and cost-effective way to address our immediate needs.
And we will create 100 beds in a Control and Confinement Center providing secured supervision for those well-behaved inmates nearing completion of their sentence. This pilot program will be added to the Thompson Correctional Center, along with a secure barbed-wire fence around the entire compound to ensure community safety. This pilot center is designed to meet our immediate prison needs as well as help reduce recidivism and ease prisoners back into society.
But one false move and they're back in prison.
And we are reorganizing our prisons into an orderly system of institutions ranging from the SuperMax to medium security to youthful offender institutions to boot camps. A prisoner can be sent up the system by causing trouble or behaving violently. Or, a prisoner can earn his way down the system by working hard and preparing himself to be a productive member of society when his sentence is completed.
This zero tolerance approach to crime and punishment is complemented by a strong agenda to prevent crime and reduce recidivism.
When a person commits a crime, we want to make sure it's his last crime. This budget builds upon our trailblazing efforts to help criminals become law-abiding citizens who contribute to our communities once they leave prison. Our plan:
• ITargets educational and vocational resources for youthful offenders at the Racine Youthful Offender Facility and the Prairie du Chien boys school -- providing these boys and young men with the skills to stay on the job and out of trouble.
• Dramatically expands our prison work initiative to every prison -- making sure all our prisoners are working. This will generate much needed revenue for our corrections department. Already we're saving millions annually by making prisoners pay for their room and board. But more importantly, it will make sure prisoners have the work ethic and the work skills necessary to find a job once they leave prison.
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And requires prisoners to help beautify our state and compensate for the ugliness of their crimes by planting trees along our highways.
Our prisoners are going to work their way out of a life of crime.
Now, I'm sure many of you will ask: Won't our prison population explode because of our more strict criminal justice system? And how can we afford this?
There is a four-part answer:
1. First, I'm convinced the deterrent effect of swift and sure punishment will lower our adult crime rate just as it has our juvenile crime rate.
2. Second, our education and welfare reform initiatives are starting to address the root causes of crime before it occurs. There are positive societal signs that we're addressing crime on the front end.
3. Third, with your help, our prisons will be less expensive to run as our prisoners are required to work to pay their own way, and
4. If our prison populations do continue to increase, the taxpayers are clearly willing to invest more dollars in prisons if necessary to keep their families safe.
Let there be no doubt: We will do whatever it takes to make our neighborhoods safe and give our families the peace of mind they deserve.
We must also support the men and women leading the effort to sweep crime off our streets by extending the terms of sheriffs and district attorneys to four years.
We need these law enforcement officials focused on making our streets safe, not lining them with campaign signs.
And we will do more to fight drugs, keep sexual predators away from our children, and protect our victims of crime.
This budget restores to our Justice Department more than $1.7 million and 27 positions for combating drugs that were cut by the federal government. It also gives DOJ an additional attorney to fight appeals by criminals committed under our highly successful sexual predator program.
We provide more than $2.5 million to local communities for services to crime and sexual assault victims. And we provide money for eight additional domestic abuse shelters in underserved areas, ensuring battered women and their children have a safe place to turn.
From sentencing to incarceration to rehabilitation, we are building a balanced new system that is more strict, more determinate and more clear cut.
History will mark today as the beginning of the restoration of the people's faith in our justice system.
America's safest state will be even safer as we move into the next century.
Summary:
There you have it. A balanced budget that meets the challenge of preparing America's State for a new century.
This budget builds stronger schools, better businesses, more jobs, thriving farms, a sustainable environment, healthier families and safer neighborhoods.
It is a budget that shuns the status quo and aggressively seeks greater success. A blueprint for building a great new house for a new generation.
And as we build this new house, let us do so together. Don't let those Rippin Good cookies crumble.
We will have differences, but we must work them out. Let us make this budget debate about ideas, not personalities and partisan politics. And let us be guided by the goal of doing the people's work, not our own.
Cardinal Bernadin, my dear friend who showed the world how to find consensus where there appeared to be none, said this: ";We should maintain and clearly articulate our convictions but also maintain our civil courtesy. We should be vigorous in stating a case and attentive in hearing another's case; we should test everyone's logic but not question his or her motives.";
Let us work together so that, four score and seven years from now, a new generation will look back upon this time with gratitude and pride, knowing they have inherited from us a strong and bold Wisconsin, and drawing from us the inspiration to do the same for the next generation.
Thank you and God Bless Wisconsin.
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Adjourned.
5:05 P.M.
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Senate Enrolled Proposals
The Chief Clerk records:
Senate Joint Resolution 1
Report correctly enrolled on February 5, 1997.
Chief Clerk's Report
The Chief Clerk records:
Senate Joint Resolution 1
Deposited in the office of the Secretary of State on February 12, 1997.
