Understanding Community Supervision in Wisconsin Criminal Cases

 Posted on December 21, 2020 in Criminal Defense

Not all crimes are created equally, so it goes without saying that not all crimes will be punished equally either. There are actually a variety of options when it comes to sentencing a person for committing a crime in Wisconsin. The most obvious punishment that a person thinks of for a criminal would be jail time, but many studies have found that spending time in jail does not actually provide much in the way of rehabilitative services, especially when it comes to juveniles and other low-level offenders. In some situations, a judge may believe it is appropriate to sentence an offender to a type of community supervision. This type of sentence allows the offender to complete his or her sentence outside of jail while supervised by the Department of Corrections (DOC).

Types of Community Supervision

In general, community supervision is the broad term used to refer to the sentences offenders serve while they are outside of prison. There are various types of community supervision, including:

• Probation: If you are sentenced to probation, the judge is allowing you to serve your sentence with community-based supervision. When you are sentenced to probation, the judge will also typically require you to do certain things or prohibit you from doing certain things, depending on the nature of your crime and your past criminal history. These stipulations may include cleaning up debris in the community or not traveling outside of a certain geographical area.

• Parole: This means you were released from prison by the Wisconsin Parole Commission and they have also set the guidelines by which you must abide during your parole period. You may also have simply just reached your mandatory release date from prison, although you will still have to follow certain guidelines during parole.

• Extended Supervision: If you are placed under extended supervision, this means you served your prison sentence under the Truth in Sentencing law and must now complete your period of community supervision. The length of the extended supervision period can vary, but the length of your specific supervision period will have been determined at the time of your original sentencing.

Contact a Waukesha County Criminal Defense Attorney

While it is true that some crimes are more serious than others, not all judges and prosecutors are aiming to rehabilitate criminals rather than punish them. If you have been charged with a crime in Wisconsin, you should immediately speak with our skilled Brookfield criminal defense lawyer. At Bucher, Wolff & Sonderhouse, LLP, our team consists of both a former Brookfield police officer and detective, as well as more than 40 years of combined criminal law experience. To schedule a free confidential consultation, call our office today at 262-232-6699.

Source:

https://doc.wi.gov/Pages/AboutDOC/CommunityCorrections/GeneralInformation.aspx#ppes