Final Creative Corrections review finds measurable reforms at Milwaukee County Jail but funding and facility gaps remain

Milwaukee County Audit Committee members heard Creative Corrections LLCsummarize a final corrective action plan for the Milwaukee County Jail on June 9, saying the county has implemented many operational changes but still needs funding and interdepartmental cooperation to finish physical retrofits and staffing upgrades.

The reportpresented by Steve Spaulding of Creative Corrections detailed work on more than 40 deficiencies identified in an earlier audit and the CAP the firm helped the Sheriff—s Office implement. Creative Corrections and county auditors framed the package as "responsive to the request included in the 2024 budget" and as a roadmap to reduce in-custody harm.

Creative Corrections flagged suicide prevention as a top priority and described multiple reforms implemented since the initial review: elimination of restraint benches on suicide watch; placing suicide-watch individuals in designated cells within one hour; retrofit work including plexiglass, tamper-resistant lighting and fixtures in some suicide-watch cells; expanded staff training led by mental-health clinicians; a revised policy removing the previous mandatory 24-hour suicide hold and allowing clinicians more professional judgment; and weekly interdisciplinary reviews to track at-risk individuals. "This CAP report is not just a checklist. It's a roadmap for reform," Spaulding said.

Spaulding also said the CAP drove structural and process changes across security, medical and mental-health delivery, and oversight: rewritten post orders; supervisors assigned to special housing units; a KeyWatcher key-control system and biometrics implementation; intake…