- Joined
- Jun 5, 2006
- Messages
- 16,217
- Reaction score
- 18
This newspaper had a photo earlier this week of men in a Madison repeat offenders program getting a talking to from various law enforcement officials.
I couldn't help but think it's probably about the hundredth time those bad boys have had the finger of authority waggled in their faces — apparently to little avail.
At least they're in good company.
One important part of law enforcement — the district attorneys who prosecute criminals — has for years been waggling its collective finger in the faces of lawmakers and the public over understaffing in DA offices.
The latest talking-to came Tuesday, when Dane County District Attorney Ismael Ozanne said that, partly because of the expiration of various grants, his office would be reduced to 1985 staffing levels.
Does that matter? After all, having fewer staff than you did 27 years ago doesn't mean you don't have the appropriate number of staff.
Everyone knows that crime has been on a downward trend for years, and data from the state Office of Justice Assistance show yearly declines in just about every category of violent and property crime from 1996 to 2010.
Still, a 2007 report by the nonpartisan Legislative Audit Bureau shows the state was already in the hole, staffing-wise, with about 117 fewer DA office positions than were needed — even accounting for changes in case loads.
Assuming that as crime drops, so should the number of prosecutors ignores that "the complexity of cases has changed over time," said David Feiss, president of the assistant DAs union, the Association of State Prosecutors.
Sex predator cases and cases involving DNA testing can be especially time consuming, he said.
Not every county is seeing less crime, either.
Ozaukee County District Attorney Adam Gerol, the president of the Wisconsin District Attorneys Association, said his office likely will handle 300 felonies this year, triple the number from 1992. With three prosecutors, staffing is at 1978 levels, he said.
Feiss thinks the bigger problem is low pay for veteran prosecutors because it encourages turnover, which creates a relatively inexperienced group. And inexperienced workers take longer to do their jobs, he said.
The Legislature passed a law last session to increase pay for veteran prosecutors, but it isn't funded yet. State funding for district attorneys offices is also down between the 2007-09 and 2011-13 budgets.
The lack of attention to the needs of prosecutors is ironic in Dane County, given that the county tends to give quite a bit of attention to reforming criminals.
In addition to the repeat offenders program, Madison Area Urban Ministry provides programming to help those just released from prison.
There's even a program run out of the Dane County Humane Society that pairs inmates at the Thompson Correctional Center in Deerfield with orphaned dogs to get the dogs some training and inmates a chance to show they can be responsible and loving.
Hey, that's it. Maybe as incentive for a little love from the Legislature, DAs could get lawmakers a puppy.
Read more: Chris Rickert: DAs ask for more money, get deaf ear
I couldn't help but think it's probably about the hundredth time those bad boys have had the finger of authority waggled in their faces — apparently to little avail.
At least they're in good company.
One important part of law enforcement — the district attorneys who prosecute criminals — has for years been waggling its collective finger in the faces of lawmakers and the public over understaffing in DA offices.
The latest talking-to came Tuesday, when Dane County District Attorney Ismael Ozanne said that, partly because of the expiration of various grants, his office would be reduced to 1985 staffing levels.
Does that matter? After all, having fewer staff than you did 27 years ago doesn't mean you don't have the appropriate number of staff.
Everyone knows that crime has been on a downward trend for years, and data from the state Office of Justice Assistance show yearly declines in just about every category of violent and property crime from 1996 to 2010.
Still, a 2007 report by the nonpartisan Legislative Audit Bureau shows the state was already in the hole, staffing-wise, with about 117 fewer DA office positions than were needed — even accounting for changes in case loads.
Assuming that as crime drops, so should the number of prosecutors ignores that "the complexity of cases has changed over time," said David Feiss, president of the assistant DAs union, the Association of State Prosecutors.
Sex predator cases and cases involving DNA testing can be especially time consuming, he said.
Not every county is seeing less crime, either.
Ozaukee County District Attorney Adam Gerol, the president of the Wisconsin District Attorneys Association, said his office likely will handle 300 felonies this year, triple the number from 1992. With three prosecutors, staffing is at 1978 levels, he said.
Feiss thinks the bigger problem is low pay for veteran prosecutors because it encourages turnover, which creates a relatively inexperienced group. And inexperienced workers take longer to do their jobs, he said.
The Legislature passed a law last session to increase pay for veteran prosecutors, but it isn't funded yet. State funding for district attorneys offices is also down between the 2007-09 and 2011-13 budgets.
The lack of attention to the needs of prosecutors is ironic in Dane County, given that the county tends to give quite a bit of attention to reforming criminals.
In addition to the repeat offenders program, Madison Area Urban Ministry provides programming to help those just released from prison.
There's even a program run out of the Dane County Humane Society that pairs inmates at the Thompson Correctional Center in Deerfield with orphaned dogs to get the dogs some training and inmates a chance to show they can be responsible and loving.
Hey, that's it. Maybe as incentive for a little love from the Legislature, DAs could get lawmakers a puppy.
Read more: Chris Rickert: DAs ask for more money, get deaf ear