Journey to Justice Bus Tour
Journey to Justice Bus Tour
By Pam Gates
On Oct. 12, midway through its 11-state journey across the United States, a huge Journey to Justice bus, full of displays about the use of solitary confinement in U.S. prisons and jails, stopped for a few hours at the Madison Christian Community. About 100 people showed up to experience the exhibits inside the bus; especially vivid was a recording of journalist John Oliver speaking on U.S. incarceration of juveniles.
MOSES’s own Talib Akbar was there with his solitary confinement truck. Visitors could get a tiny glimpse of what solitary is really like – crude, degrading punishment – by spending time in the cell he carries in his truck.
Two panels addressed incarceration in Wisconsin, particularly solitary confinement. One panel featured several local politicians, plus activists personally acquainted with solitary confinement. The other addressed the system’s effects on women; the panelists were leaders of FREE, a movement that addresses women’s needs during and after incarceration.
“Solitary locks a person inside their own mind,” said JenAnn, whose lived experience bolsters her nonstop activism for system reform. “It’s not a tool, but a wound to inflict on people–and then blame them for bleeding… Solitary … can be imposed for minor rule violations, on people struggling with trauma … Women survive through contact, through relationships … Imagine your kids growing up without you,” she added, noting another hardship incarceration inflicts more harshly on women – and on their kids.
“Trauma, addiction, and criminal mentality and behavior are never addressed,” another panelist said. “I … rehabilitated myself … all the system does is piss people off and make them angry.”
Panelist Megan’s mentally ill dad was often denied his medications in prison; he ultimately committed suicide in solitary in 2023. People in solitary cost the state 2-3 times more than the general prison population, Megan said, but solitary doesn’t help heal them … We pour money into a system that tortures people and costs taxpayers millions of dollars.
The Wisconsin Department of Corrections (DOC)’s budget is the second-largest in the state.
“We’re locking up far too many in Wisconsin,” said Rep. Ryan Clancy, D-Milwaukee, who takes time to visit state institutions and talk with the people confined there, not just with the staff. When he asks prisoners what they would change about the system, he often hears: “I want to be better when I leave here than when I came.” Clancy said we need to ban solitary outright or create better conditions and programming for people held there. “We need to look at those incarcerated as true members of our community!” Rep. Darrin Madison, D-Milwaukee, declared.
“We’re misallocating resources,” said Sen. Kelda Roys, D-Madison. “We need to invest in human potential … to orient toward job training, education, and mental health. Truth-in-sentencing has made prisons less safe.” As for the long periods of supervision most live with after release, she said: “The system’s attitude is ‘Gotcha!’ not ‘How can I help?’ We’ve traded actual public safety for the aesthetic of ‘tough on crime.”
Rep. Madison said we need to end mandatory minimums, reduce many sentences, and offer clemency. People are returning to the community worse than when they went in, he said; we need a total overhaul of the criminal-legal system. We’re failing everyone who believes in and wants public safety. Even Republicans understand how inappropriate juvenile life-without-parole sentences are.
“Our prisons are not understaffed; they’re overpopulated!” Clancy said, adding that finding housing after prison would help returnees a lot. “How are we investing?” he asked.
FREE panel: Julie Bliefnick, Jessica Jacobs, Yolanda Perkins
Each of these women were directly affected by Wisconsin’s carceral system. Each recalled the pain and/or degradation of watching mistreatment of others or directly experiencing it. “I still suffer the effects, though it was over eight years ago,” Jessica said. “I have PTSD; incarceration made it worse.”
How did incarceration affect your families?
“My mom hasn’t been incarcerated in 20 years, but the experience still affects her communication with family, Yolanda said..” She’s still afraid to be in a room alone … I was a ward of the state. I ran away from unsafe foster homes … I still remember us having to go get my newborn baby brother from prison. We were called and told to come pick up Number [XXX].” (One of FREE’s goals is changing the policy of immediately separating moms and newborns.)
When you’re under medical observation in jail, Julie said, you can’t call anyone, and no one informs your family. “I missed visits with my son due to these policies,” she recalled. “There’s long-term trauma with parental incarceration. We need to insist on communication between parents and children; that continuing bond is so necessary.”
Another of FREE’s efforts is the Doula Project at Taycheedah Correctional Institution for Women (TCI).The project’s goals include prohibiting solitary for pregnant or postpartum women, plus continuing every positive program for them. The panelists said the DOC has responded positively and praised TCI’s Doula Program. Women can’t stay with their babies yet, Yolanda said, but there is good programming for new moms – except that, if they complain about depression, they get sent to solitary!
To an audience question on mental health services for prisoners and former prisoners, Julie said, “We [FREE] offer Circles of Support, but we’re not licensed therapists. Trauma is the biggest problem. There are two psychologists at TCI for 600 people. There are also social workers at the prisons; I’m not sure how useful they are.”
“Plenty of county jails still shackle pregnant women,” Jessica said, raising an issue that MOSES has addressed and helped win a policy change. “The DOC doesn’t, anymore. There needs to be a policy across the state. Forced inducements still happen; we’re pushing to end those.”
WISDOM leader David Morrell gave a closing shout-out to the audience: Call your elected officials and tell them to support a list of 17 bills introduced in 2023 that address conditions of confinement.
