Community Corrections - General Information

Community Supervision

During your first meeting, your agent will discuss the rules and conditions of supervision. The court, as well as your agent, may require that you do certain things or prohibit you from doing certain things while you are on supervision. For instance, you may have to take part in drug or alcohol counseling, family counseling, a school program, a job program, or other programs. The court may also order you to pay a fine, court costs, or attorney fees, perform community service work, pay restitution to the victim, or pay supervision fees. Payment of supervision fees is an important condition of your supervision and is required by law. Your agent will explain what you owe and assist you in setting up a monthly payment plan based on your financial situation. If you are not able to pay, your agent may ask the court to give you more time to pay or change the financial conditions of your supervision.

Early Discharge

Only probation cases may be discharged early and the client must meet the following criteria:

• Served at least 50 percent of the probation term.
  
• ​Minimum or Administrative supervision for a reasonable period of time.
• Satisfied all conditions of probation that were set by the sentencing court.
• Satisfied all rules and conditions that were set by the Department.
• Fulfilled all financial obligations to his or her victims, the court, and the department, including the payment of any fine, forfeiture, fee or surcharge, or order of restitution.
• No outstanding warrants.

Clients who are required to register under Wis. Stats. 301.45 are not eligible for early discharge.

Probation & Parole Agents

When you meet with your agent for the first time, they will let you know how often you must see them. These meetings may occur at your home, job, school, or in the agent's office and are an opportunity for you to discuss any problems or concerns you have. Your agent will review this reporting schedule at least every six months and may make changes in the schedule based on the progress you have made with your supervision goals.

It is very important that you keep all appointments with your agent. If you have a problem you need to discuss with your agent outside of a regular meeting, call your agent and ask if they can see you sooner.

When  your agent meets with you, they may do required paperwork, collect restitution, verify that your supervision fee account is up to date, verify your employment and attendance at treatment or education groups, obtain a urine sample, and discuss your progress on supervision. This is also a chance for you to ask questions and request help in obtaining needed services.

Your agent will ask you many questions. The information you provide will help your agent to get to know you, and will help you and your agent set goals for your time on supervision.

Your agent will also visit you at your home. The agent must be familiar with your living situation.

If you stop reporting to your agent and your agent cannot locate you, a warrant will be issued for your arrest.

In addition, the time that passes until you are apprehended will not count toward your time on supervision. In other words, your supervision will be extended for the amount of time that passed after you stopped reporting to your agent. It is also possible that your supervision may be revoked for not reporting.

If you reach your agent's voicemail during normal business hours, or if they are not available and it is an emergency, contact the receptionist and inform them of the urgency of the matter. They will then obtain assistance for you.

You will be required to follow the rules of your supervision as set forth by your agent. Violations of the Rules of Community Supervision may lead to revocation of your supervision and return to court to be sentenced, or return directly to prison.

If you are having difficulties with your agent, you should first discuss these issues with your agent. If you are not satisfied with your agent's response, you can appeal issues to your agent's supervisor. Ask your agent for a DOC-127 "Offender Request for Administrative Review” form. Your agent will explain the procedure to you. All complaints/appeals must be submitted to your agent's supervisor in writing.

The following cannot be reviewed administratively:

• Custody and detention 
• Revocation 
  
• Violation of criminal laws or municipal ordinances 
• Firearms denial if you have ever been convicted of a felony 
• Voting denial if you have been convicted of a felony 
• Conditions of supervision ordered by the Court or the Parole Commission 
• Mandatory detention

While you are appealing the agent's decision, the initial decision made by your agent will remain in effect. You must comply with the agent's decision or directive during the appeal process. You will not be penalized for filing a complaint.

Probation, Parole, and Extended Supervision

Being placed on probation by a circuit court judge or released from prison on parole or extended supervision means that you may complete your sentence outside of prison or jail. You will be supervised by the Department of Corrections (DOC) in your community.

Probation means your supervision is community-based. Usually, as part of probation, the court orders you to do certain things or prohibit you from doing certain things that relate to the history of your crime, including but not limited to spending time in jail, paying restitution, attending treatment or education groups, or doing community service. Your agent has a copy of the court order and you should ask them about the court-ordered conditions of your probation, which cannot be changed by the agent.

Sentence Withheld, Placed on Probation means the court has not imposed a sentence and has ordered you to be placed under the supervision of the DOC. You will be subject to department supervision under conditions set by the court and rules and regulations established by DOC for your supervision. If you violate the conditions of your supervision and your probation is revoked, you will be returned to court for sentencing.

Sentence Imposed And Stayed, Placed on Probation means the court has sentenced you to a specific term, but has ordered that sentence stayed and placed you under the supervision of the Department of Corrections. If you violate the conditions of your supervision and your probation is revoked, you will be required to serve the sentence imposed by the court. You will not return to court.

Parole means that the Wisconsin Parole Commission has released you from prison and set your conditions of parole or you have been released from prison after reaching your mandatory release date.

Extended Supervision means that you have completed your prison sentence under the Truth in Sentencing law and now have a period of community supervision to complete. The judge determined the length of the extended supervision at the time of sentencing.

Supervision Fees

Wisconsin determined with passage of 1995 WI Act 27 that all clients on community supervision must pay for a portion of the cost of their supervision. With the passage of  2015 WI Act 355, it was determined that Department cannot collect supervision fees from a client on supervision for a case with unpaid restitution. The supervision fee is charged each month a client is on supervision but cannot be collected until restitution balances on active cases have been satisfied.

The amount of the client's supervision fee is based on the monthly gross income of the client and their spouse and can be set at $20.00, $40.00, or $60.00 per month. The agent supervising the client may adjust the supervision fee when there is a change in the client's gross monthly income or may exempt the client from supervision fees under certain circumstances.

Clients must make payments using money orders, cashier’s checks, or credit cards and complete a payment coupon provided by the Department. The Department cannot accept cash or personal checks.

To be credited for a supervision fee payment, the client must provide both the supervision fee payment and the assigned coupon. The client or another person making a payment on their behalf can mail payments to P.O. Box 93353, Milwaukee, WI 53293-0353 or present the payment and coupon at a Division of Community Corrections field office.

Restitution

The purpose of restitution is to make the client aware of, and responsible for, the damage caused to the victim(s) and society as a result of the crime committed. Restitution is the client's chance to make amends to the victim(s) of crime for the economic loss they've suffered as a result of the crime. The client will submit restitution payments to their agent. If the end of the probation, parole or extended supervision sentence nears, and restitution is still owed, consequences may include extension of probation, a civil judgment entered against the client by the court or in some cases, community service may be performed.

Revocation

Depending on the violation and your overall adjustment on supervision, your agent may recommend revocation of your supervision. The process involves a hearing in front of an administrative law judge with your attorney and your agent. If your supervision is revoked, you will either be returned to court for sentencing or transported to a correctional institution.

Violations of Supervision Rules

If you violate the law or the rules of your supervision, your agent will complete a violation investigation. You may be placed in jail by your agent while the violation is being investigated. Your agent will investigate the facts and will meet with you to discuss the violation. A serious violation may lead to the revocation of your supervision.

Firearm Restrictions

Both Federal and State law have a lifetime prohibition for possession of firearms and/or ammunition by convicted felons. 

Federal law also prohibits possession of firearms and/or ammunition by:

• fugitives from justice;
• any person who is a user or addicted to any controlled substance;
• any person committed to a mental health institution;
• illegal aliens;
• any person discharged from the Armed Forces under dishonorable conditions;
• any person subject to a court order restraining the person from harassing or stalking an intimate partner or child; and
• any person who has been convicted of any misdemeanor crime which has an element of the crime, domestic abuse behavior.