Benjamin Braam has already decided a recent Wisconsin Supreme Court ruling means he can stop recharging an electronic tracking bracelet the state forced him to wear for the rest of his life.
The high court’s decision involved a case unrelated to Braam, but it shot down the rationale that former Wisconsin Attorney General Brad Schimel used to justify the lifetime monitoring of one-time sexual offenders even after they completed their sentences and were no longer under court-ordered supervision.
Authorities from the state Department of Corrections “called me and said I had to charge it and I told them I would no longer be charging it,” Braam said. “They need to remove it. They need to go through every case since Schimel made that opinion and reevaluate them.”
What’s the point of keeping it on him if they can’t verify his whereabouts? Regardless, this is completely dehumanizing and can’t be tolerated any longer. They made me wear one during probation for three years and I have ptsd as a result of it.
No One should ever be forced to wear a monitor on their bodies for a life time, that’s a sick politicians way or playing judge, jury, executioner. Nor should any human be forced to a life time registry. This is barbaric and needs to STOP. If a person is that bad of a treat to society a Judge and only a Judge or jury should have the power to enforce such a cruel punishment upon a person of this country. Politicians are the ones forcing these unjust punitive punishment’s and in most cases years after a person has been sentenced or served their time for a crime, no retroactive registries or life time punishments are expectable. The courts needs to strike down all these unjust sentences applied via power hungry politician and law makers.
Article says:
“Braam is hoping the Department of Corrections will decide to end his lifetime sanction, even if he’s already taking matters into his own hands and letting his GPS device battery die.”
Braam says:
“The ruling says that my case no longer falls under the opinion from the old attorney general,” he said, “so why am I still wearing it?”
Gotta admire Braam’s balls of steel!
As most of you know by now, I am one of the other eight that was on the lawsuit with Brian. In the four and a half years that I’ve had the GPS on me, I’ve had 19 units. I’ve had six different units so far this year and seven last year. My last communication with monitoring was back on June 8th at 7:00 a.m. when they called me to charge my GPS. I told him to shove it up there.. I too am waiting for them to remove the unit that has been dead on my ankle for the last 4 weeks. I have contacted multiple people, including my registry specialist. And all they tell me is that they are working on it. One day I will be free of this unit and we’ll get my 15-year registry back. One day!
Registrants are human beings not cattle to be tagged and tracked before going out to pasture (society). I’d like to see lawmakers, law enforcement, busybodies, governors, and judges to wear GPS for awhile for the dehumanizing experience.
So my registry specialist blew me off, Nicole Griffiths. And she threw me back to the general person out of Madison, which I’ve had conversations with before. Her name is, Monica Lukach. And here is our conversation.
Monica.
Specialist Griffiths sent us your email. We are aware of your situation and as stated previously, we are working through the process to determine the next steps. Your patience and understanding are greatly appreciated.
Me
I already know that this is illegally on me because I was not an SBN before all this became. As the law has changed. If I was to cut this gps off, there’s nothing that you can do to me? Correct me if I’m wrong? I’ll be forwarding everything to my civil rights lawyer for determining the next step. It’s kind of funny, that we had to have the units put on in 5 day because of brad shimmel “redetermination of law” that was illegal. And now 6 weeks later from determining that your law was illegal, you can’t figure it out?
Monica
Thank you for the information, your email will be noted into your record.
Me
So….your not going to answer me about removing the bracelet? I have bruising from this bracelet. I would love to have you remove this unit seeing that it is illegal on me.
Monica
If you need service on the unit, you may contact the MC at 800-978-0078.
Me
Already talked to them on June 8th. I just want this GPS removed. Not going to answer the question???????
Those bracelets look intimidating
I didn’t realize Brad Schimel had such a punchable face. What a d*ckhead. I’m also waiting to hear back from the Wisconsin Dept of Corruption about changing my registration time back to 15 years. Thank God I don’t have to wear an ankle bracelet since I’m now staying in Massachusetts. But I need to get off lifetime. If WI DOC doesn’t hurry it up with their “reviews,” I have a couple of law students lined up ready to do business. They can’t wait to take a bite out of Kevin Carr’s black ass (I can say that because I’m black too) So if the DOC wants to rumble, we can go there.
It’s really not a politician problem with the gps requirement in Wisconsin. It’s a departmental problem as the article states. The former AG Brad Schimel, who offered up his “interpretation” of the guidelines, has long been out of office since Tony Evers became governor over 4 years ago. Under the previous Walker administration, DOC head Jon Litscher only asked Schimel what the guidelines meant. But in the end, Litscher ignored the former AG’s interpretation.
Then Walker appointed Cathy Jess as the DOC head. She decided to go along with the guidelines, and she was the first sole defendant in the Illinois 7th circuit gps case that plaintiffs lost–mostly because the case concentrated on the “inconvenience” of wearing an ankle bracelet. While that case was being decided, Tony Evers became governor and appointed token Kevin Carr to lead the department. This fool decided to also go along with Schimel’s guidelines until inmate Corey Rector came along with a more “focused” lawsuit involving those considered to be repeat offenders who’d been convicted under ONE case, ONE court proceeding. After Rector won, got put back on 15 year registration, and gave Kevin Carr the finger, this motherfu*cker still refuses to back off everyone else! Myself included. So it has to take more legal actions and threats of contempt of court to put some fire under that bureaucrat’s ass.
The recent Supreme Court decision in Rector, regarding lifetime GPS monitoring, doesn’t go nearly far enough.
Yes, there are people who definitely need to be on GPS monitoring, people who have repeatedly proven that they will continue to re-offend and will continue to be in places where they shouldn’t be. The problem is, this reasoning doesn’t apply to the vast majority of people that Wisconsin has placed on lifetime GPS monitoring.
A large number of those on GPS monitoring committed their crimes literally DECADES ago, prior to the GPS law being enacted, yet have had this law retroactively applied to them, WITHOUT a court order, without a hearing, without a valid risk assessment being done. And they have no recourse, they aren’t even allowed to have an annual review for consideration of their suitability for GPS monitoring or to petition the court every so often for consideration of having the GPS removed, a hearing where the State of Wisconsin would be required to submit evidence showing why lifetime GPS monitoring should continue to be imposed.
These are people who pose zero danger to the community, who have led crime-free lives for many years, who have fully completed their court-imposed sentences (where the court did NOT impose lifetime GPS monitoring), and have fully “paid their debt to society.” In cases where the State of Wisconsin has literally ZERO justification to continue GPS monitoring, why do we continue to do this?