|
|
| 103 at Wis. Supermax Weren't Sentenced for Violence |
| By Associated Press |
| Published: 11/26/2001 |
|
Nearly one-third of the inmates at Wisconsin's Supermax prison were originally sent to prison for non-violent crimes, despite the prison's reputation as a place to house the state's worst offenders, an Associated Press review of prison data shows. Of the 323 inmates at Supermax in mid-October, 103 were convicted of non-violent crimes such as burglary, car theft and forgery, according to the latest Department of Corrections statistics. Supermax inmates' original crimes are irrelevant, given that inmates are not sent to Supermax because of their original offense but because of their behavior in the prison system, Corrections Secretary Jon Litscher said. Supermax's purpose is to remove violent and disruptive inmates from other prisons so those facilities can run more safely and smoothly, Litscher said. Only one inmate was sent directly to Supermax: Alejandro Rivera, a gang leader convicted of murder who was accused of hiring two people to firebomb the district attorney's home in Superior during the murder trial, prison officials said. Prison officials announced last week they were easing some of the prison's restrictions and expanding prisoner privileges, including providing televisions to all inmates. Inmates are sent to Supermax for a variety of reasons, but 60% of them were there for assaulting staff members or other inmates, the department statistics reviewed by the AP showed. |
advertise
|
privacy policy
|
add URL
|
about us
|
terms/disclaimer
|
contact us
|
join our team
|
help
Comments:
No comments have been posted for this article.
Login to let us know what you think