Milwaukee, WI

Freddie T. Dudley, an inmate at the Milwaukee County Community Correctional Center, has been charged with the murder of Douglas Mitchell on September 20, 2007. Dudley seemed to have a great alibi - he appeared to be in jail at the time of the murder. In reality, however, he has exposed a huge flaw - and giant danger - in the management of the facility’s work release program.

Dudley called in to the Correctional Center that day to advise that he was working late and would be checking back in after hours. He then had a friend sign him back in on the work release log, making it look like he returned to the Center earlier than he did.

Apparently, standard procedure allows an inmate to extend his work release hours with a simple telephone call. They are then required to bring in a letter from their employer after the fact.

But in this case, after the fact was too late - the crime had been committed.

In his confession, Dudley admitted that he did not even go to work that day. Instead he spent time at a hotel doing drugs. He and his friends then decided to rob Mitchell, and ultimately ended up shooting him. The Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel has more details.

The Milwaukee Count Circuit Court Access program shows that Dudley has been charged with first degree reckless homicide and being a felon in possession of a firearm. According to court records, Dudley has a history of criminal behavior dating back to 1995.

Dudley described the practice of having his name forged in the work release log as “not uncommon.” Will that change now that this incredible flaw has been exposed? Work release is a serious matter - allowing criminals who are serving sentences to be on the streets for any reason is something that cannot be taken lightly for the very reasons that Dudley has illustrated.

Are we going to see some tighter restrictions on work release now? The coming weeks will be telling.

Milwaukee, prison, murder, crime