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| Charges Dismissed in Wis. Prison Disturbance |
| By WBAY |
| Published: 12/09/2002 |
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Brown County's district attorney was forced to dismiss battery charges against three prison inmates because of the Monfils Law. The inmates were accused of assaulting corrections officers during a disturbance at the Green Bay Correctional Institution in Allouez earlier this year. Inmates acted up last January 22nd after learning they wouldn't get showers or fresh linens because of a broken boiler. At the time it was considered an all-out assault by prisoners, the worst one officers had ever seen. Nine prison employees went to hospitals. Naturally they expected some type of criminal prosecution, but they were wrong. About 20 inmates were disciplined inside the prison. Three of them were also charged with felony battery to an officer. But because of a technicality, they will not face criminal prosecution. 'It's a slap in the face every day for us when we come here, because we have to deal with the gentlemen who did this to us,' corrections officer Joe Taerud said. The district attorney got information about the disturbance and those responsible from prison informants. 'We got reports from the institution. We never get those reports, but once we get the reports we can't hide them,' D.A. John Zakowski said. The reports from the prison's own internal investigation contain documents promising informants they would remain completely anonymous, giving them protection under the state's Monfils Law. But the judge in this case ruled that their names must be revealed for a fair trial for the defendants. That didn't leave the county prosecutor with much choice. 'You have to dismiss the case, because to turn that over we'd be violating Chapter 19, and then we'd be committing a crime,' Zakowski said. 'As distasteful as it is, you have to play within the rules of the law,' he said. It is a problem Zakowski wants remedied for the future. At this point, prison warden Dan Bertrand is open to suggestions. 'If that means we have to change how we do business, to do a better job to getting the cases prosecuted, then that's what we'll do,' Bertrand said. This was the first time the D.A. got those prison documents, so this is the first time this has happened. Zakowski hopes it is the last. |
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There is a lot of information on this website about inmates and prison guards. I didn’t realize what was going on in our prison system until I discovered this website. Similarly, I didn’t understand litigation finance until I read more from Hamilton Lindley who is a litigation finance expert based in Texas.