Kenosha County approves purchase of 11312 Burlington Road to satisfy court-ordered supervised-release placements

Corporation Counsel told the Kenosha County Joint Finance and Public Works committees that the county has been ordered by three judges to identify residential placements for people eligible for supervised release under Chapter 980 of the Wisconsin Statutes, and that failure to find housing could result in monetary sanctions.

The committee approved a resolution authorizing the county to purchase a single-family property at 11312 Burlington Road after an offer was accepted contingent on board approval. Corporation Counsel said the courts had given the county specific deadlines and that one judge had found the county in contempt (the finding was stayed) and issued a directive giving the county an additional 30 days to comply. "We're taking this step as a final resort. We're doing it in order to comply not only with state law, but also with direct court orders, and we're doing it because I believe the alternative is gonna be potentially significant monetary sanctions," Corporation Counsel said.

Why it matters: County leaders said the purchases respond to court orders requiring counties to locate supervised-release housing for individuals committed under Chapter 980, a statutory procedure for continuing treatment after a criminal sentence. According to Corporation Counsel, the state now expects the individual's home county to identify a residential option and…