DOC addresses issue of registered sex offenders working in the community

An individual recently contacted The Lakeland Times to express concern about individuals on the state’s registered sex offenders list serving time at the McNaughton Correctional Center in Lake Tomahawk working in the community through a work-release program.

To learn more, the newspaper reached out to the state Department of Corrections (DOC), director of communications Beth Hardtke.

Hardtke explained that there are 109 people serving time at the minimal security prison. Of the 109 inmates, 70 are working for six different employers through the work-release program, she added.

Hardtke said 11 of the 109 total inmates are registered sex offenders and five of those registered sex offenders are not allowed to leave correctional center grounds. 

“Two individuals are part of the center’s project crew, which is always supervised by DOC  staff,” Hardtke said. “In cases where that crew is working downtown or in a school zone, the two individuals are instead working on-site at the correction center. The four individuals listed as sex offenders who work in the community are all in manufacturing positions on an assembly line, which the general public does not have access to, and there is no way for an individual to leave without being seen.”

In response to a followup question from the Times regarding whether the DOC should inform the community there are registered sex offenders in custody and working in a community, Hardtke referred to the “Wisconsin Sex Offender Registry and community notifications work in Wisconsin.”

“First, the Department of Corrections maintains an online database — available to the public — of all individuals required by a court to register as a sex offender,” she said.. “On that public site, individuals can sign up to get notifications by zip code or geographic areas. Individuals who sign up for these notifications then get an email sent to them whenever anyone on the registry moves into that particular geographic area.”

Hardtke said the public is able to search the database by name or geographic location. 

“Wisconsin State Statute 301.46 instructs the Department of Corrections on how to disseminate information about sex offenders to local law enforcement and to the public,” she said. “Certain offenders (depending on number of offenses or special circumstances of an offense) may warrant a Special Bulletin Notice to be sent to local law enforcement. The statute provides the Department with guidelines on what information must be provided to local law enforcement so they can make a determination on how to notify their community. In some circumstances, local law enforcement may wish to send out bulletins and/or conduct a community notification meeting for certain individuals on the Registry moving in their community. Due to the number of registrants, it would make the notification ineffective if there were an over saturation of meetings and/or bulletins sent out.”

Hardtke acknowledged the difference from one community to the next and pointed out there may be places with more registered sex offenders. With that being the case, the statute gives the ability to local law enforcement to make decisions appropriate for a particular community “they work for and know well.”

“In addition, individuals who are released from a Department of Corrections facility on community supervision and are required to register as sex offenders must make face to face contact with law enforcement as part of their supervision,” she said. “Individuals whose convictions would warrant Special Bulletin Notices are not eligible to take part in work assignments outside of the institution. It is important to remember that individuals taking part in work release programs are not truly being released.”

Those individuals are under direct supervision of DOC staff at all times until being returned to the correctional center. 

“Local law enforcement are also kept well informed of the locations where individuals on work release are employed,” she said. “Please keep in mind there are more than 26,000 sex offenders registered in Wisconsin. The law is designed to give law enforcement the flexibility to provide the public with information when the public can take practical steps to protect themselves. It does not require law enforcement to notify the public in every case for the reasons above.”

Trevor Greene may be reached via email at [email protected].