Black
River Falls (WQOW) - After
two inmates spent more than a week on the run, we're now learning more about
the program they escaped from.
29-year-old James Newman and
18-year-old James Misleveck escaped from the Black River Correctional
Center last week. After a
cross-country crime spree, the two were caught later in Florida. They were part of the challenge
incarceration program at the prison.
The 6-month development program at
the Black River Correction Center
is geared toward preparing inmates for life outside of prison. The program is
broken down in to four phases, and includes drug and alcohol treatment,
military drills, and education. The further along an inmate is in challenge
incarceration program, the more freedom he has. James Newman was in the first
phase of the program, but James Misleveck had just one month left. The
program's superintendent says in the programs eight-year history, there have
been two other escapes, the last one being five-years ago. The facility is in a
heavily wooded area, and there aren't fences or gates to keep inmates in. The
superintendent says the prison has not changed the structure of the program
since the escape, but is reviewing the incident.
"We'll be doing a
review to determine if the two inmates who walked away from the program were
appropriate to be here. And from there, we'll, we've done an internal review
already. We felt that our staff did a great job and the protocols were followed
for when we do have a walkway from the center," says Black River Correctional
Center Superintendent David Andraska.
Andraska says, overall the program
is very successful. 75-percent of the graduates are still on the street,
working and going to school.
The two
escaped inmates are in custody in Florida.
They're facing criminal charges there, as well as in Monroe and Jackson
counties. They're also facing federal charges.
