VOTES ARE BAD NEWS FOR CRIME

Reduced-parole bill, others approved

Mike Flaherty , Legislative reporter
Wisconsin State Journal

It was get-tough-on-crime day in the Legislature as the state's lawmakers
voted to eliminate early parole for prisoners, chemically castrate
pedophiles and tighten the laws that allow communities to fine and jail
children who repeatedly miss school.

The Senate voted, 24-4, Thursday to pass a proposal that would keep convicts
behind bars for their full prison sentences.

Critics say the proposal may cost taxpayers as much as $1 billion to keep
inmates behind bars longer. The state prison budget for 1997-98 was more
than $666 million.

Sen. Joe Wineke, D-Verona, said that many were supporting the bill even
though it has flaws because it was the politically popular thing to do.

''We all know what a 30-second television ad can do when it says you're soft
on crime,'' Wineke said.

Current law allows time off for good behavior and provides for release of
prisoners on parole after serving between a quarter and two-thirds of their
terms.

The Senate plan now heads back to the Assembly which last year passed a
similar bill that not only forced criminals to spend their entire sentences
in prison, but extended those sentences from three to 20 years longer.

The Assembly passed its bill by a six-to-one margin last May. The measure
won wide support, including Democratic Attorney General Jim Doyle.

The Senate passed the same bill but without the added sentences. Democrats
argued that lawmakers should not add to the sentences. Instead, that
decision should be made by a sentencing commission that both parties agreed
should be created to rewrite the criminal code, said Sen. Brian Burke,
D-Milwaukee.

''This just makes sense,'' said Sen. Bob Wirch, D-Kenosha.

But the bill's future is imperiled because the Assembly Republicans said
they won't consider the Senate's version of the bill.

''I see no need to waste the Assembly's time debating a weaker version of
truth in sentencing,'' said Assembly Speaker Scott Jensen, R-Waukesha.
''Either the Senate passes our version or nothing happens this session.''

Neither bill could be considered soft on crime because both want prison
sentences that are longer than what is already on the books, Don Salm, an
analyst at the non-partisan Legislative Council, has said.

A person currently convicted of sexual assault could serve anywhere from 10
to 26 years behind bars and have 30 to 13 years of parole, Salm has said.

The Associated Press contributed to this story.