Life under surveillance
Podcast Episode
A Rock County criminal offender offers a look at life on electronic monitoring. Kyle Geissler reports.
Photo
Janesville resident Kerry Wehrwein wears two electronic monitoring bracelets. One checks her alcohol levels (bottom) and the other monitors her location.
JANESVILLE — Kerry Wehrwein looks like a teacher or a librarian, but appearances are deceiving.
Her bright red lipstick, dressy blouse and sparkling earrings contradict the ankle bracelets hidden beneath the cuffs of her black pants.
Family photos, snowmen decorations and angel figurines in the living room contrast the tracking devices on an end table that wirelessly tether her to her home.
"I have just had a drinking problem all my life," she said. "It just goes way back to my childhood."
Wehrwein is one of about 813 offenders who in 2008 participated in alternative programs to stay out of jail.
Of those, 124, about 15 percent, have been kicked out for reasons such as drinking alcohol, using drugs or committing new offenses.
The jail alternative programs include electronic monitoring to track offenders and Workenders to let offenders pay off their fines with labor.
It costs $64 a day to house an inmate in jail after expenses such as staff wages and food, Sheriff's Sgt. Brent DeRemer said.
Alternative programs reduce the jail population and save money, he said.
They also allow offenders to remain home with their families, Sheriff's Lt. Russ Steeber said.
"A lot of these people make mistakes, and they make errors," Steeber said. "But that doesn't necessarily mean they're bad people."
Wehrwein, a 47-year-old Janesville waitress, has three drunken-driving convictions, including one involving a wreck. She joined the electronic monitoring program to remain home with her 16-year-old daughter.
If she wasn't on electronic monitoring, she probably would sleep every night in the Rock County Jail and be released each day—without monitoring—to go to work.
She wears two bracelets, one around each ankle. One bracelet detects alcohol in her body. The other uses GPS to track her movements.
Wehrwein speaks with a calm voice and is open about her struggles with alcohol, jail and life under surveillance.
Drunken driving
Wehrwein's recent problems began in November 2006. It was late at night. She had been drinking beer at home and got drunk. She decided to visit a friend but drove through a red light on the way.
"I probably had over a 12 pack," she said.
She was convicted of her second drunken-driving charge. Her first was in 1989. Her license was suspended for a year, but she continued driving to work.
Three months later, Wehrwein again was drinking at home. She was cleaning. She wanted a few more beers. She headed to a Janesville bar and figures she had about 12 beers, "give or take."
"I went there and had a few and was leaving, and it was snowing," she said. "I pulled out, obviously I didn't look, and a car was coming."
Wehrwein was nailed in the driver's side of her Pontiac car. She needed eight stitches in her head and had a chipped tooth. The other vehicle, a Mercedes, had $10,000 in damage.
"I had had enough that I didn't remember a whole lot," she said. "I didn't know until the next day that I got into an accident with people. I thought I had went straight into a snow bank."
She was hospitalized and later convicted of a third drunken-driving charge and several other tickets, including driving with a suspended license.
Time in jail
Wehrwein applied to serve her jail sentence on electronic monitoring and was accepted. She served 48 hours in jail and then was strapped to ankle bracelets in December 2007.
In jail, she slept on the top bunk. It felt like camp. She got teased. Other inmates humiliated her.
Wehrwein became sick to her stomach. She was nervous. She shared a cellblock with five or six other inmates.
Wehrwein kept to herself. She slept. She hardly ate. It was cold. She wore long underwear to stay warm.
"It was scary," Wehrwein said. "Just doing that 48 hours was enough for me to appreciate the program.
"It was hard. Some of those people, they're in and out of there all the time," she said. "One girl was in there almost two years. I couldn't even imagine."
Two days later, she was fitted for the electronic monitoring equipment. She then returned home to her daughter.
"I don't know what I would do without the program," Wehrwein said. "I can't imagine what it would be like to be in jail and have my daughter's life interrupted more than it already has been."
A second chance
While on electronic monitoring, Wehrwein continued to drive to work, even though her license was suspended.
The GPS tracking bracelet didn't sound an alarm because even though she was driving illegally, she stayed within her designated home-to-work route.
She got pulled over five months later in May and was ticketed for speeding and driving after revocation. She later missed her court appearance. Two warrants for her arrest were issued.
On Halloween, Wehrwein was arrested and spent six days in jail. Her daughter stayed with a friend's family.
"It was more than a nightmare than I could even imagine," she said.
The sheriff's office gave her a second chance to go on electronic monitoring. She was released from jail.
She's been on her second stint on electronic monitoring since November.
Life under surveillance
Wehrwein hides the ankle bracelets under long pants.
"I'm embarrassed. A lot of times when I think about my alcohol problem, it makes me feel not normal," she said. "If I stretch or something, I hope the bracelets don't ever show."
The alcohol bracelet will alert the sheriff's office if she drinks booze. She stays away from certain cleaning or beauty products to ensure alcohol doesn't absorb into her skin.
The GPS bracelet keeps her from going anywhere other than work or home. She gets two hours a week to run errands.
Wehrwein can't go to a movie, restaurant or walk the dogs. She has missed her daughter's choir concerts and cheerleading events.
"It's hard on her and on me not to be able to be there and support her," Wehrwein said.
She and her daughter aren't allowed to have visitors.
Wehrwein gets checked regularly. A deputy stops by and gives her breath tests. The deputy also makes sure her bracelets are on.
The bracelets won't be removed until her sentence is complete. They're on in bed and in the shower. They're light and about the size of a cassette tape.
Staying sober
Living on electronic monitoring is tough, but it's better than jail, Wehrwein said.
"I don't want to do anything I'm not supposed to so I don't end up back in jail," Wehrwein said. "I would much rather follow the rules and live under my roof than theirs."
She will remain on electronic monitoring until March 18 if she behaves. She still has to be sentenced on two driving after revocation charges. The judge could order her to spend additional time on the bracelets.
"If I'm on it longer, I don't have any objection," she said. "It's better than the alternative."
Wehrwein knows she caught a break by not sitting in jail. She's been sober since October and hopes to remain alcohol free. She wants to get involved in a church.
"It's sad how alcohol can take over your life and ruin everything for you," she said. "I wish I would have done something about it long ago, but I guess I wasn't strong enough."
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Electronic monitoring
Offenders who meet certain requirements can serve their jail sentence in the community if they go on electronic monitoring.
Offenders can wear two different ankle bracelets:
-- One bracelet is equipped with GPS and tracks the offender’s every move, Rock County Sheriff’s Sgt. Brent DeRemer said.
-- The second detects whether the offender drinks alcohol.
Some offenders wear both.
Placing offenders on electronic monitoring reduces the jail population and saves money, DeRemer said.
The program also allows offenders to pay their debts to society while remaining with their families, Sheriff’s Lt. Russ Steeber said.
The person wearing the bracelet submits a schedule they must follow, DeRemer said. The bracelets alert the sheriff’s office if the schedule is broken.
Exclusionary zones can be entered to keep offenders away from a victim or bar, he said. If the person enters the zone, the sheriff’s office is alerted and can call or send a deputy.
Offenders who violate the program’s rules are jailed.
The sheriff’s office carefully reviews who can be on electronic monitoring to ensure the community is safe, DeRemer said.
Offenders with felony drug, sex or child abuse charges are not allowed on electronic monitoring, he said. Criminal history also is researched to ensure the offender isn’t a risk.
Electronic monitoring started in 1998.
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Admissions: 565
Releases: 491
Returned to jail: 59
Escaped: 2
Money saved by keeping offenders out of jail: $1.7 million
Reasons 59 people were removed from electronic monitoring in 2008
Drug use: 16
Alcohol use: 24
No home: 4
Went to banned area: 7
Lost phone service: 2
Committed new offenses: 3
Criminal history discovered: 3
Feb 18, 2009 at 2:34 p.m.
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Is she asking for anyone's sympathy? No she is telling it like it is and IMO showing that she is thankful for the alternative. I for one give her credit for putting herself out there with a target on her back for all of you(perfect "I've never had lapses in judgement or problems people" to take a shot at her.
Jan 8, 2009 at 1:43 p.m.
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I think I know kerry and she is not a bad person She can kick the habit I did 30 years ago after 2 DWI,s I have been sober ever since.
Jan 6, 2009 at 7:50 p.m.
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Janesvillen I am far from perfect as most of us are I have done my time for my behaviors My point is she cant even follow the law on the bracelet she has driven after rev. and received more charges while on it SHE shopuld have LOST the privilege as the law breaker DONT DESERVE IT. Every time I broke the law I took responsibility and did my time or paid the fine. I didnt get the bracelet and I had kids a lot younger then her. But I made a choice to do things against the law. Now I choose to not drink not break the law and do what is right. Im not being judgemental Im voicing my opinion as to give the repeaters the easier softer way is not helping them one bit! I am grateful I did the time as it made me realize I didnt want to go back to the hell hole at the county jail and deal with the people who have no desire to change. Maybe more people would wake up if they got a little tougher on repeaters,and not coddle them.JUST MY OPINION
Jan 6, 2009 at 11:47 a.m.
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Well I hope for the best for Kerry, but if down the road after she gets these off and she violates the law again, throw away the key! She had her chance and if she can't abide by the law and be responsible then don't give her anymore breaks! It's about being a responsible citizen and being a grown up.
Jan 6, 2009 at 9:02 a.m.
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I know Kerry and shes not just saying shes an alcoholic she is one. Shes trying to get her life together so give her a chance to prove it. So if any of you are without sin let them cast the first stone. None of us are perfect we've all done things we should'nt .
Jan 6, 2009 at 2:39 a.m.
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Slow news day or what? This is from sunday and is still up, OK 3 DUIs~well your just stupid then you need to learn and being on your teather ankle band is nothing compared to serving time in jail yet we can't do that due to overcrowding, Good God why can't we figure this BS out som,e need to be incarcerated andsome don't yet we seem to be doing things in reverse...... I know of some cases right now where the person should be out and yet people like the woman in this story0 who I predict will violate again are on the leash the teather!!!!!! We need to extract our heads pull back when you hear the pop then decide!
Jan 6, 2009 at 12:32 a.m.
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A lot of people claim to be alcoholics to use it as an excuse to explain their lack of judgement and to shrug off responsibility in my opinion.
Jan 5, 2009 at 12:41 p.m.
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I think offering drug and alcohol programs to people who need them is a great thing, but remember that the person has to want to get better. I see a lot of people join just to get out of harsh punishment and when the eyes are off them they continue to abuse drugs and/or alcohol.
Don't get me wrong here. The programs are great and have help a lot of people I'm not against the programs but people need to realize the programs only work when the person wants to get better.
Jan 5, 2009 at 9:04 a.m.
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Janesvillean: Minnesota has comprehensive programs for drunk drivers to keep them from being a danger to themselves - they also have tougher laws than we do, higher beer tax, etc. As one who has MN connections, it is true that drinking and driving is not acceptable...here, it's no big deal until you get caught. My brother in law had NO choice but to remain sober in MN if he wanted the outside life with his family - and electronic monitoring changed his life...thank God. I applaud Sheriff Spoden who has led a charge in treating offenders out of jail to save money while dishing out a fair penalty - we just have to make sure the programs are available to help the addiction and save the family where possible.
Jan 5, 2009 at 8:52 a.m.
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Janesvillen is right. I would love to know how many of you have never had two or three drinks and gotten behind the wheel of a car. This woman has put herself out there to show how this program is working for her and her family, not to have hypocrites bash her for the mistakes that she has made. I think that it takes a big person to publically support the program that she is thankful for, knowing it will open her up to criticism.
I realize that she has been a danger to people in the past, as her alcoholism could have cost more than just her own life, but that is the point of the bracelet system. It is too bad the alcohol-monitoring bracelet cannot be left on for longer.
Hopefully this program will work for Kerry, but it is an addiction and a powerful one, something that can be difficult to bust free from. What is spending time in jail going to do: open her up to a whole new world of addictions and offenders? At least with the bracelet she is able to spend time with her daughter.
For gmaof3, your right the biggest concern right now should be her daughter, who I personally know to be a wonderful child who has been amazing during this struggle. She is strong and has the support of friends and family, which is what both of these women need.
Jan 5, 2009 at 12:13 a.m.
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Ah, all you people with your negative unforgiving comments.
What would happen to the families of those people thown in jail for the duration of the mandatory sentence? Do you think most people have enough savings to pay the rent, buy the groceries, keep the power on, buy heat? Should those children be tossed out of their homes? Put into foster care? Where will they live after the minimum sentance? Will the land lords be forced to eat the lost rent? Should their houses and cars be repossesed by the poor banks who can't seem to get a break? Should the employers be forced to run their small buisnesses without what is usually essential staff or should they be fired so they can get out of jail with their kids taken away, no job, no home, no car, no unemployment... and see if they re-offend?
How many people get out of jail and and go straight to a bar? Home confinement allows people to adjust to their life without their vice and keep their lives together. Who was it, anyway, who said "Let he who is without sin cast the first stone"?
I have read the words of a bunch of ignorant bigotted pagans. I'm sure glad they aren't cops or judges or policy makers.
Recently it was pointed out to me that Wisconsin has 5 times as many people per capita in carcerated than Minnesota. Are the people that much better on the other side of that river or are the policies that much harsher over here. I agree with locking up dangers to society but drunks aren't so dangerous. Not every offender injures or kills some one every time they offend. This is a statistical throw of the dice senario.
I'm old. Been guilty many times and still have never hurt anyone or anything in 34 years of offending often. Thowing me in jail on this basis is as bad as using racial profiling and just taking a certain percentage of each race and thowing them in jail because they, statiscally, steal. The frequency of thefts will go down 10% if 10% of everyone is locked up.
Incarceration is not a viable solution.
Jan 4, 2009 at 11:31 p.m.
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I don't think what she did was right because the car she hit could easily have been my family or friends BUT it sounds like she has learned a lesson. I know of a good church to go to it is Our Savior Lutheran, it is on Kellogg Ave just before U-Rock. No one there judges anyone and they always tell people that you are only a visitor once, then you are family. Hope to see you there. For the people who can learn this is a good program for some it is not. I personally think that 1st offense drunk driving should be a felony, with a mandatory(no less than) 6months in jail.
Jan 4, 2009 at 10:55 p.m.
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thekid, I'll take the under.
Jan 4, 2009 at 9:22 p.m.
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i hope this lady kicks her habit. the bracelet comes off 3/18. im gonna go ahead and start the pool. i'll say 3/31 unless she joins AA, then itll be 3/25 when she drinks again...
Jan 4, 2009 at 9:13 p.m.
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I love finding a comment room so full of people who've never done anything wrong. I wonder how many in here have ever had a drink and then gotten behind the wheel. No one right? You just didn't do anything like run a red lite & get caught. I see it almost everyday. I hope Wisconsin does what they do in IL. & set up check points. I know they work for sure because it stopped me on nights i knew i had to go over the state line, in my younger (know it all) days.
As for "making" offenders on GPS take AODA. Its a waste of money. Making them go has never, & will never work. It only works when they are ready for it to work. Do you like throwing your money down the toilet? I don't.
And s for the over crowded jails vs GPS Tracking. If they'd stop putting people in jail/ prisons for non-violent C.M. offenses, there wouldn't be over crowding. Mandatory Minimum sentences, the archaic, "Toss em in jail & throw away the keys" attitude that has over crowded our penal system. There are thousands of people in jail that, if convicted today, would be eligible for home tracking. We have become a society of over reactors, & now put children in the system for doing things kids have always done. We're making offenders out of kids who get into fights?! Parents now call the police on their kids when they can't get them out of bed to go to school (I just love that one).
There are lots of people in the system that don't belong there.
Jan 4, 2009 at 7:41 p.m.
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;-)
Jan 4, 2009 at 7:38 p.m.
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That was a mean thing to say. My thoughts and prayers are with you.
Jan 4, 2009 at 6:39 p.m.
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"While on electronic monitoring, Wehrwein continued to drive to work, even though her license was suspended."
"She got pulled over five months later in May and was ticketed for speeding and driving after revocation. She later missed her court appearance. Two warrants for her arrest were issued."
Alcohol doesn't seem to be her only problem. On the other hand, maybe all those years of heavy drinking made her stupid.
Jan 4, 2009 at 4:45 p.m.
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MS Wehrwein said "I guess I wasn't strong enough".
You can never be strong enough if you're powerless over something. The key here is to surrender. Hopefully she can do that.
Jan 4, 2009 at 4:32 p.m.
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Doesn't seem like much of a punishment to me. Maybe my home is too comfortable. I'll bet that her's is a lot more comfortable and convenient than a jail cell. Or maybe I just woke up from a NIGHTMARE IN RUSSIA! :-)
Jan 4, 2009 at 1:28 p.m.
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Sounds like she's one of the few not-typical inmates. That's good, but I get a kick out of how she was out driving while on hte bracelet, and wasn't supposed to be. News flash. Everyone continues to violate, and it never seems to stop.
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For those who truly use this program to change their life and stay out of the cells, more power to you. But I just don't have confidence in most people. This diversion program is truly a means for most of these offenders to get off easier. Notice that it's also about the money? It may be cheaper, but many of these people will simply re-offend.
Jan 4, 2009 at 12:18 p.m.
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Hopefully once she's released she will go to AA or find support somewhere to remain sober. I certainly hope she does, not only for her sake, but for her daughters sake.
Jan 4, 2009 at 11:51 a.m.
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Her electronic monitoring began in December 2007, yet she states she has been sober since October. October 2008?
Jan 4, 2009 at 10:31 a.m.
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AHH, nothing like getting up on sunday morning, having a fresh cup of joe and seeing a serial drunk drivers razor stubble legs hooked up to law enforcement bracelets. Good pick Gazette!?!?
Jan 4, 2009 at 9:59 a.m.
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Their full of crap if they say they don't put sex offenders on the bracelet!
Jan 4, 2009 at 9:11 a.m.
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I agree with the monitoring system as it saves money and over crowded jails.
BUT one of the requirements should be AODA treatment at least once a week. People who are thrown in jail or made to pay huge fines for drug and alcohol offenses do not change thier lifestyles of drugs and alcohol unless it is treated.
Jan 4, 2009 at 8:13 a.m.
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You can tell it is Sunday. We have a lot of do gooders on here. Church must have let out early. The woman has a problem, and she has finally admitted it. Will she probably relapse? You bet, as the odds are stacked against her. However, she has taken the step to solving her problem, and even has given up her privacy to be splashed all over the Gazette with her story. I hope she gets the help that she needs, and ends up coming out of this better. JimBeam, you have any better ideas? You should know all about DUI's.
Jan 4, 2009 at 7:47 a.m.
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She should be made to go yo AODA classes ? And dont it cost to have the monitor system. OH THATS RIGHT IF you dont have a JOB it is free for you!!!!!! Now if you work and want it YOU have to PAY for the Monitor! (that was in the paper a while ago) She violates ang continued to drive multible times and while on the bracelet aand gets it back to do it again again. IMO she shouldnt have the second chance to do it again and when shes off the monitor she can drink and do it all over again as IMO she has no respect for the law when she on the bracelet let alone when she is not and the one that monitors alcohol will be gone too and she can drive after reavocation and DRUNK AGAIN and Again and Again? She hasnt drank because she has an alcohol monitor to (im surprized as she did drive) The real sobriety comes whae you are not locked up or on the EMS. And IMO wont last without the right help! Im sorry for the negative but I have seen so many that violate and are let right back on it...... And get The EMS everytime they catch a new charge. IMO if you violate then you LOSE the priviledge!!!!!!!
Jan 4, 2009 at 6:48 a.m.
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i agree with above. i dont feel sorry for her either, and the only reason she is not drinking now is because she is being monitored. but when tha bracelet comes off, she will drink again. this woman needs intensive treatment with aoda. it took me 22 years and probably 9000 dollars later to figure it out. i thank god no one was hurt but me. and by hurt i mean always sick from drinking and the damage it does to your family.i wish her luck but she is going to need more than that.
Jan 4, 2009 at 6 a.m.
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Are we supposed to feel sorry for her? I really don't!
You drink, You drive, you get caught, YOU DO TIME!
"I have just had a drinking problem all my life," she said. "It just goes way back to my childhood."
WHO CARES?
She's lucky she didn't kill anyone.
Jan 4, 2009 at 4:59 a.m.
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She certainly didn't seem to care about what got her into this mess in the first place, until she had to spend SIX days in jail. Her prior TWO days in jail didn't have enough of an impact I guess.
Her daughter is also "serving time" because of her mother's stupidity. Mom can't attend her school functions, choir concerts / cheerleading events... Her daughter can't even have a friend over after school!
At 16 years old, this is the age kids start to experiment and pull their own stupid stunts. (I know, I raised two daughters...) I hope this young girl has other family she can depend on.
Jan 4, 2009 at 2:53 a.m.
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It says 491 people were kept out of jail at a savings of $1.7 million.
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A new jail only "needs" to be built if society agrees that more people need to be put in jail to solve the problem that their behavior caused. That does not mean that jail is the only way to solve the problem.
Jan 4, 2009 at 1:02 a.m.
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So how is this program keeping people out of jail? It doesn't. It just masks the problem that a larger jail needs to be built. The number coming to jail will keep going up. When are they going to start loosening the restrictions and soon child molesters and felons will be out. Some way to protect us.
Jan 4, 2009 at 12:49 a.m.
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Back in the 60's if someone would have read this they would have thought they woke up from a nightmare in RUSSIA
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