An inmate at a Milwaukee prison that allows work release has contracted coronavirus

A person housed at one of the Milwaukee correctional centers where inmates have been allowed to leave on work release has tested positive for the coronavirus, Department of Corrections officials confirmed Monday.

The inmate, who was housed at Marshall E. Sherrer Correctional Center in downtown Milwaukee, was among at least 12 employees and 10 inmates inside the state's prisons to test positive as of Monday afternoon.

The Journal Sentinel first reported earlier this month that inmates from Sherrer and from Felmers O. Chaney Correctional Center have been allowed to continue work release jobs at a Menomonee Falls warehouse despite the risk of coronavirus.

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Jails and prisons are at high risk for the spread of the virus because they tend to be crowded and difficult to keep clean, experts agree. Allowing inmates to come and go not only increases the risk to prisoners, but to co-workers on the outside and prison employees.

"People are given very little access, in many places, to hygiene supplies," said Cecelia Klingele, an associate professor of law at the University of Wisconsin-Madison who specializes in criminal justice administration. "That dearth is dangerous to prisoners and staff coming and going from institutions."

Of the 60 or so inmates at Sherrer, five have been allowed to continue their work release jobs side by side with non-inmates at the warehouse of Union Supply Group, a company that contracts with the Department of Corrections to run its canteen program. That program, also known as commissary, sells snacks and hygiene items to prisoners around the state.

Five inmates from Felmers O. Chaney Correctional Center also have work-release jobs at Union Supply. No inmates from either Sherrer or from Chaney, which houses about 100 men, had tested positive as of Monday, according to the corrections department.

Businesses such as Union Supply have been deemed essential under Gov. Tony Evers’ stay-at-home order, which calls on people to limit their interactions to members of their immediate households. 

The inmates working there have been allowed to continue even after most other work release assignments were halted as a precautionary measure against the spread of the coronavirus last month.

Due to the pandemic, demand for many canteen items, including soap, vitamins and cleaning supplies, has increased. Under the state's contract with Union Supply, the corrections department gets a 10% commission on every item purchased.

"We would likely experience challenges in the delivery of canteen items to all of the institutions and centers on time without those in our care continuing this critical operation," Neal said in an email earlier this month. "As you can imagine, getting canteen to those in our care is essential, especially given the circumstances with COVID-19."

Editor's note: This story has been updated to correct information about the person who tested positive.

Contact Gina Barton at (414) 224-2125 or gbarton@gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter at @writerbarton.