(Photo by Kevin Mathewson, Kenosha County Eye)
In Kenosha County, there’s a massive difference between a straight jail sentence and what’s known as “Huber”—a term I’m going to start calling “work release,” because that’s what it really is. Judges might sentence someone to a year in jail, and it sounds like real punishment. But once you add in work release, that “jail time” turns into something entirely different.
Picture this: someone on work release isn’t locked in a cell block 24/7. They’re out 12 hours a day, six days a week, feeling the wind in their hair as they drive around, stepping on grass, seeing the sunshine. It’s basically living a normal life and just checking into a dorm at night. They can go to work, and even go to school. At night, in the dorm? They can handle emails and watch movies on tablets. It’s a world away from what real jail is supposed to be—more like “camp cupcake” than a real lockup.
Let me give you an example: John Steinbrink Jr., convicted of public corruption, was sentenced to over a year but got work release. He spent his days running his business, then just came back to the jail to sleep. More recently, a woman convicted of her third OWI got 100 days of “jail,” but it’s really 100 days of work release. She gets to go out every day and live her life, then just comes back to a dorm at night.
Now, here’s the key point: traditionally, judges allow work release because they think it’s too harsh to let someone lose their job, miss school, or fail to handle child care. But that leniency is exactly the problem. When someone commits a serious or even violent crime, they should feel those repercussions. Losing a job or missing out on normal life events is part of the pain of a real jail sentence. Huber—work release—erases all those consequences. It’s too soft, too lenient, and ultimately not the kind of accountability our community needs.
And here’s a personal angle: if I were sentenced to work release, I could still spend my days doing exactly what I love—riding around on my Harley to court, covering community events for this news website, and living my life almost entirely unchanged. That’s not punishment. That’s just a “camp cupcake” scenario that won’t deter anyone from committing crimes again.
To contrast, Judge Dougvillo has handed down true jail time in other cases. For example, a city employee, Jamie Watkins, who stole rebate funds was sentenced to 45 days in jail by Dougvillo, not a work-release arrangement. And in another case, Dougvillo rejected leniency outright and sent a former teacher, Christian Enwright, convicted in a grooming case to over a year of full jail time. The judge refused to convert it into work release. These traditional sentences show exactly what real jail is supposed to be—hard confinement, loss of daily freedom, and no commuting to apply makeup or check emails or go to class. And in another case, a Tremper High School English teacher, Mark Wisniewski, received six months in jail for his third OWI after running from police, but thanks to work release, he was still in the classroom every day teaching our youth while supposedly serving his sentence.
But there’s another major layer to this problem. Sentencing courts decide whether or not to authorize Huber/work release when ordering jail. However, the court doesn’t get to decide how jail sentences are actually carried out—that authority rests strictly with the sheriff under state statute. In practice, that means the sheriff decides who gets electronic monitoring, and it applies to both Huber and straight jail sentences. The sheriff typically places most Huber inmates on electronic monitoring, which means they don’t even spend nights at the jail—they sleep at home. Even if a judge orders “100 days jail, no Huber,” the sheriff can still override the spirit of that sentence and put the offender on electronic monitoring. At that point, the person is simply sitting at home instead of behind bars.
I’m calling it work release from now on, because “Huber” is just a misleading label. If we want real deterrence and real punishment, we can’t let people live their normal lives with just a nightly curfew. If it’s jail, it should be actual jail. Period.
(Photo by Kevin Mathewson, Kenosha County Eye)
(Photo by Kevin Mathewson, Kenosha County Eye)
(Photo by Kevin Mathewson, Kenosha County Eye)
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40 Responses
They should do the crime not be able to feel sunlight
Have you ever broken a law?
Well said.
Is there a cost effectiveness to having someone on electronic monitoring and/or “work release” compared to the cost of having them monitored as an inmate by 24/7 supervision? I have always been under the impression that the inmate has to pay to be on either of those options and it offers a relief to the overall cost of having to house them, ultimately a savings to the taxpayers/budget. Is anyone able to confirm or refute that?
You are correct on both.
Huber inmates pay for their keep.
The Kenosha County Detention Center, formerly known as the House of Detention, was established by then County Executive John Collins as a way to relieve jail overcrowding and save taxpayer money for housing lower risk prisoners than if they were in the county jail. It was eventually folded into the sheriff’s department.
Don’t even start to look into what happens when those on work release are caught not going to work or come back drunk or high. Spoiler alert………not much.
Some have been charged with escape.
It is also expensive to do work release or electronic monitoring and the rules are strict. It is not a free ride.
Yes, this article is not accurate. There is much more restrictions than listed here. You couldn’t just go take a ride on your Harley. Huber or work release requires you to wear an ankle monitor that is closely watched 24 hours a day. You have specific times and locations, even paths to those locations that have to be approved in advance. If you veer from the path or are out during anytime other than your approved work hours- you are in violation. I know because I went through it myself. I once got caught by a train going to work and received a call because I was sitting in one spot for too long in their eyes. You have to answer and it is reviewed with a supervisor in order to not have your privileges revoked.
I agree with some parts of the article but for the most part- it is not accurate. There is so much more to the program.
You are correct, Blake. We had an employee who was on Huber with an ankle monitor. We have a service company. This employee had to notify the supervisor of each address that he had to go to. He lived alone so was allowed to get groceries but had to have it approved before he could go. On weekends he was not allowed off of his property and the sheriff’s department made a couple of random checks to make sure he was there (even though they knew he was because of the monitor). He always knew he was being carefully watched. I would agree that it was better than jail, but it wasn’t Camp Cupcake.
Unless you are Steinbrink Jr. who has his OWN business and can make up his OWN list of people he was “working” for…like his friend’s house or anyone else he chose😂
303.08(1)(c) permitted. Self-employment was one of the original purposes of the Huber law to permit farmers to continue to attend to their crops and livestock.
There ain’t no way I want to go to camp cupcake. I take medication every morning for my heart. At least when I wake up I know my medicine will be in the cabinet waiting for me. And I don’t have to rely on or hope that I’m going to get my meds at camp cupcake and not stroke out on the floor.
Well, don’t do the crime then.
Lock them up and may the jail bigger
Who downvoted this? That’s the problem, no one wants the repercussions of their actions. Don’t be an asshole criminal and you won’t go to jail. Get off your ass and get a job.
Also, don’t have any kids while you’re behaving like a lowlife.
Libs
I heard Steinbrink is selling village stuff by using a middle man .
I thought Steinbrink got Huber release for his job at the swimming pool store
Where is he selling it??
Which one ? They’re both crooks .
Probably true, but wasn’t that one of the many list of things he got in trouble for originally or is this something new after he got outfox Cupcake Camp? I wonder if the “new” guy (who ALSO has his own business) is doing the same thing Steinbrink JR did while he was working for Pleasant Prairie?
Jr. may have been a snot and shady but he the work got done a lot better than now.
The “Huber Law” goes back to 1913 and was considered pioneering at the time. It has been amended many times. Huber release is a privilege, not a right and can only be granted for specified reasons. If a prisoner is unemployed and otherwise eligible for work release, the Huber law law mandates that sheriffs try to help them find work. Huber inmates PAY THE COUNTY toward the cost of their jail stay.
Below are the authorized reasons for Huber release. Attending to Camp Cupcake is not among them unless the inmate owns it or works there!
303.08 “Huber Law”; employment of county jail prisoners.
(1) Any person sentenced to a county jail for crime, nonpayment of a fine or forfeiture, or contempt of court or subject to a confinement sanction under s. 302.113 (8m) or 302.114 (8m) or a probationer detained in a county jail, tribal jail, or other county facility for a probation violation who meets the criteria under s. 302.335 (2j) may be granted the privilege of leaving the jail during necessary and reasonable hours for any of the following purposes:
(a) Seeking employment or engaging in employment training.
(b) Working at employment.
(bn) Performing community service work under s. 973.03.
(c) Conducting any self-employed occupation including housekeeping and attending the needs of the person’s family.
(cn) Attending court proceedings to which the person is a party or for which the person has been subpoenaed as a witness.
(d) Attendance at an educational institution.
(e) Medical treatment.
(f) Obtaining counseling or therapy from an approved public treatment facility, as defined in s. 51.45 (2) (c), an approved private treatment facility, as defined in s. 51.45 (2) (b), a psychiatrist, a psychologist, a licensed clinical social worker, a professional counselor, as defined in s. 457.01 (7), or a certified independent or advanced practice social worker who is authorized to practice psychotherapy under subch. I of ch. 457.
(g) Attending an assessment for the purpose of determining the person’s need for counseling or therapy under par. (f).
(h) Attending a parenting education program.
(i) Meeting with the person’s probation, extended supervision, or parole officer.
No one is reading your AI
You did.
lol definitely did not 😉
I did .
😂😂
Additional information….
A person sentenced for OWI can’t get Huber unless they’ve done the alcohol/drugs assessment and, if ordered, installed an ignition interlock device on any vehicle they own or operate.
The Kenosha County Detention Center is actually a separate entity from the jail. It was created under a law that says: “The county board of any county may, pursuant to s. 301.37, establish, relocate and maintain within the county a house of correction for the reformation and employment of persons sentenced to confinement therein.”
Initially it was a separate entity. Once it became KCDC, it became part of the Sheriff’s Department jail division.
Huber inmates are generally restricted to a maximum number of hours they can be out and usually a maximum of six days in a week. Within that time frame you could do your job but not outside of it and not unrestricted.
I doubt any of these turds have jobs. That’s why they are in there. Lazy degenerates.
One of the better ones was a police officer in Milwaukee county jailed for not paying child support. Let out on Huber.
Still a low life, deserved to be in there- I don’t care who he is.
You forgot to factor in “good time”
If there was someone who DID NOT DESERVE work release, it is John Steinbrink Jr.
Agree! He even had the nerve to ask for early release!
Another benefit of Huber is family dinners at Bill Michel’s home.