Milwaukee County Jail housing operations back to normal
Milwaukee County Jail
MILWAUKEE - The Milwaukee County Sheriff’s Office (MCSO) announced on Thursday, Feb. 22 it has opened general population housing units in the Milwaukee County Jail (MCJ).
By doing so, MCSO is "increasing jail occupants’ time out of their cells from approximately seven hours per day to 12 – 14 hours per day in order to increase the utilization of the dayrooms, the gyms and participate in other activities," a news release says.
Officials say the change marks a return to "normal" housing unit practices. For nearly the last four years, occupant movements were restricted due to prior COVID protocols, and, more recently, to accommodate severe Correctional Officer staffing shortages.
Milwaukee County Jail
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Milwaukee County Sheriff Denita Ball issued the following statement Thursday:
"It has been our intention to make this change as soon as staffing levels and safety protocols allowed it. So, we are pleased to revert back to pre-pandemic housing protocols and believe this will contribute greatly to an improved atmosphere in the housing units, living conditions for the occupants, and safer working conditions for the officers."