Candidates for Wisconsin governor disagree on use of electronic devices in jail

MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) -- The latest attack on the campaign trail has been about how much access those in jail should have to electronic devices.

Tuesday, Sept. 8, Republican candidate for governor Tom Tiffany attacked his opponent, Democratic candidate for governor David Crowley, for signing the contract that allowed each inmate in Milwaukee County Jail to get a tablet.

This call for action comes after a Milwaukee County judge slammed the Milwaukee County Sheriff's Office for allowing electronic devices inside jail, after at least two inmates reportedly used them to try to intimidate witnesses. The office of the county executive said they "have not received information from MCSO substantiating the allegations made by Congressman Tiffany and Judge Borowski. The office is conducting additional fact-finding to determine what actions to take."

Republican candidate for governor Tom Tiffany said it's preposterous that violent offenders sitting in Milwaukee County Jail have access to tablets and laptops. Meanwhile, Democratic candidate for governor David Crowley said they reflect "best practices" used in 48 states across the country that provide tablets to inmates. 

"We're gonna hand a defendant a laptop. For what reason?" asked Milwaukee County Judge David Borowski — a question that started the latest attacks on the campaign trail. 

"At some point, you have to ask who is responsible. David Crowley has the authority to demand accountability. The very contract he signed says the contractor will face financial penalties when inmates gain unauthorized access to applications or unapproved networks. Were those penalties ever enforced? Because after everything we have seen, Wisconsinites deserve to know what David Crowley did to hold this contractor accountable and prevent it from happening again," said Tiffany, while speaking at an event hosted at the Milwaukee Police Association.

Tiffany said he'd eliminate tablet access entirely for violent criminals, and instead of tablets being given to inmates, they'd have to be purchased. Crowley's team noted tablets were first made available to inmates in 2018 through the Wisconsin Department of Corrections under then-Governor Scott Walker. Then, the tablets were reportedly available to inmates for $137. 

If elected as governor, Tiffany said he'd analyze if there's any action that could be taken when it comes to shared revenue or the budget to make sure this issue doesn't happen throughout the state.

Through an agreement with Milwaukee County and a company called "Inmate Calling Solutions" in 2022, over 2,000 tablets were assigned to inmates. It was approved by the Milwaukee County Board of Supervisors, then signed by county executive and Democratic candidate for governor David Crowley, through 2028.

The Milwaukee County Sheriff's Office admits there has been misuse of the past, with one inmate trying to contact a witness over 1,500 times in May, another suspect trying to intimidate witnesses through his brother in August, and a "tech savvy inmate" accessing child pornography through a loophole that "has since been fixed and closed," according to MCSO. Those inmates have had their electronic device privileges revoked. 

MCSO noted that tablets "cannot be used to access the internet. The tablets are on a closed loop network that can only access content that is in the service provider’s library – law library material, educational courses, movies, music, etc. Further, the tablets cannot be used to place or receive phone calls – audio or video calls. In terms of communications ability, they can only be used for written communications via a messaging system that resembles text messaging" in a system similar to collect phone calls. The sheriff's office goes on to note inmates do not have 24/7 access to tablets, and "there is a limited period of time each day that the tablets are “unblocked.”" Then there are laptops, which, according to MCSO, "are not "issued to Milwaukee County Jail detainees.... inmates can get limited, short-term access to laptops in secured rooms to study legal materials to prepare for meetings with their attorneys, imminent court hearings, etc." 

Crowley told CBS 58's Montse Ricossa on Sept. 1 he takes this issue very seriously, noting, "This is about making sure that we're working directly with the sheriff's office to make sure that we have policies in place moving forward to make sure that nothing like this happens again." As of the evening of Sept. 8, the county executive's office and MCSO are still looking into updating policies, but there is no update at this time. We reached out to MCSO asking the same question and have not heard back yet.

In the contract with Inmate Calling Solutions, any unauthorized use of tablets could result in the contractor paying the county $2,500 each time. The office of the county executive shared they're "not aware of any fines having been issued pursuant to the contract," saying, "We’ve requested the full contract to review to assess what penalties, if any, are appropriate."