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mosesmadison

WISDOM Listening Session on DOC Experiences Thursday, February 4

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Save the Date!!
February 4, 2016 5:00 to 7:00 pm
Grace Episcopal Church
116 W. Washington Avenue, Madison
for a LISTENING SESSION
regarding The Department of Corrections

People are invited to come to tell their own experiences related to:

  • Excessive Crimeless Revocations (being revoked back to prison for a “technical violation” of Supervision rules)
  • Denial of opportunity for parole for “Old Law” prisoners who have already been in prison longer than the sentencing judge required.
  • Excessive use of Solitary Confinement
  • Lack of “Compassionate Release” for elderly and ill prisoners.

The Department of Corrections has refused to meet with the community or to respond to legitimate concerns.  Legislators, media, and people of good will are invited to hear for themselves about many concerns regarding this unaccountable system.
With questions, please contact David Liners at 414-736-2099, or at david.liners1@gmail.com.  You can also contact him if you have a story to tell and want to be certain to get on the speakers’ list.

mosesmadison

THIS WEEK: Resource Fair, Reform Now screening, and WISDOM presentations

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Tuesday, November 10, 5-9pm – Central Library

  • Reform Now is a 45 minute collection of documentaries showcasing work Wisconsin residents are doing to challenge solitary confinement and incarceration practices. The film begins at 5:30pm, and filmmaker Tim Coursen will lead a discussion after the screening.
  • WISDOM will present their 11×15/Restoring Our Communities Wisconsin campaign to decrease Wisconsin’s prison population to 11,000 by the end of 2015. WISDOM is an interfaith grassroots network. Presentation starts at 7:30pm.
  • A resource fair will be available on a drop-in basis from 5-9pm for visitors to meet members of community groups who are addressing racial inequalities and working for social justice.  Groups present include WISDOM, MOSES, Madison Groundwork, Urban League of Greater Madison, Justified Anger, YWCA, and Madison Urban Ministry.

Experience Solitary Confinement

Wednesday, November 11, 7-9pm – Central Library

Former inmate Talib Akbar, Reverend Jerry Hancock, Reverend Kate Edwards, and Jean Feraca, formerly of Wisconsin Public Radio, will share their experiences with solitary confinement and their involvement with prison reform.

  • A lifesize, walk-in model of a solitary confinement cell, based on drawings made by Mr. Akbar, and a soundtrack of a real unit will be at the library during the event and also available for anyone to experience at the library from November 7 through November 12.

 

library flyer

mosesmadison

MOSES Advocacy Helps Pass Resolution 556 #nonewjail

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MOSES ADVOCACY RESULTS IN IMPROVED CRIMINAL JUSTICE AND JAIL RESOLUTION 556 BEING PASSED BY COUNTY BOARD.

Tireless advocacy by the volunteer members of MOSES, an inter-faith social justice organization, led to numerous improvements to Resolution 556, which was passedUNANIMOUSLY PASSED tonight by the Dane County Board. “The passage of this resolution demonstrates that when everyday people organize in solidarity, the community can significantly improve our County’s criminal justice system” said Morris Wexler, VP of MOSES, and longtime regulatory consultant. By passing resolution 556 “the County board is unequivocally stating its support for eliminating racial disparities, reducing incarceration, reducing the number of jail beds as well as its opposition to the construction of a new stand-alone jail” (RES 556, 316-319) as well as creating three community Work Groups to investigate solutions and make budget recommendations to realize the comprehensive reform of Dane County’s criminal justice system.

Specifically MOSES efforts led to:

  1. Unequivocal language that rejects the construction of a new stand-alone jail.
  2. An official commitment to comprehensive reform of the Dane County Criminal Justice System.
  3. Adoption of a set of guiding principles for future action.
  4. Inclusion, as partners, of people of color, people with mental health needs and people affected by incarceration within the Work Groups.
  5. Focus on racial and mental health disparities in the Work Group investigations.
  6. Prioritization of racial equity in access to and participation in community-based programs and alternatives to jail.
  7. Grounding future criminal justice budgets and jail planning in the recommendations of the Work Groups.
  8. Encouraged a competitive bidding process for criminal justice reform on contracts.

MOSES is proud of its contribution to this victory for justice in Dane County – but this is just the beginning. “The MOSES Jail Task Force will be transforming into smaller task forces to support the resolution’s Work Groups to ensure that our vision for criminal justice reform and investing in community-based alternatives becomes a reality” said Jeanie Verschay, a member of the MOSES Jail Task Force, and the Executive Director of Employment Connections. MOSES recognizes and thanks all supervisors who voted for and sponsored resolution 556 and especially supervisors, Stubbs, Bayrd, Corrigan, Pan, Wegleitner, Dye, Hendrick, Pertl, and Willett for their work either on committee or in meetings with MOSES. MOSES also recognizes the work of other community groups that helped shape resolution 556: YGB, NAMI, No Dane County Jail Working Group, MUM and DD Coalition among others.

Get INVOLVED HERE!

Donate to MOSES MADISON HERE!

For more information please contact: info@mosesmadison.org

mosesmadison

A Call for Accountability in DOC #ReformNow

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To learn more about issues MOSES and WISDOM are fighting for, read the following briefs by WISDOM:

Brief 1: A Broken Parole System

Brief 2: Failures in Revocation and GPS Monitoring

Brief 3: Solitary Confinement is Torture

Reform-Now-Cover-Header

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Learn more about Old Law Parole #ReformNow #ReformWisDOCNow @Wisdom4Justice

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In Wisconsin, more than 2,800 men and women remain incarcerated, even though they are legally eligible for parole under the terms of their original sentences. Their continued incarceration costs the state more than 96 million each year. All of these inmates were sentenced prior to the enactment of the Truth In Sentencing legislation. Consequently, many were given longer sentences with the expectation that they could be released after 25 percent of their time had been served. At this point in time, many have completed their required programs, have solid release plans, have all been incarcerated for more than 25 percent of their sentence, and many even work in the community with little to no daily supervision. Still, they are continually told that their release would impose an unreasonable risk to the public and that they have not served enough time. It is time for the Governor, the Department of the Corrections, and the Parole Commission to fix this broken, ineffective, and very expensive system, allowing these men and women to return to their families and become productive members of our society.

 

mosesmadison

Reform Now: Revocations & GPS Monitoring #ReformNow

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On Wednesday, August 20, WISDOM members from across the state gathered to speak out against the unjust and counterproductive practice of sending people to prison for “technical violations” of their parole or supervision.  Click below to view a video on the event by Tim Coursen.