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mosesmadison

Upcoming MOSES and WISDOM Events!

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Reposted from Madison365 by Robert Chapell:

Criminal Justice Reform Community Meeting Set for Monday

“The Dane County Board of Supervisors will host a community conversation regarding potential reform of the county’s criminal justice system on Monday, October 12, from 6 until 8:30 pm on the second floor of the Alliant Energy Center.

The conversation will feature small-group discussion of more than 30 recommendations put forward recently by three community workgroups who addressed needs in the areas of: Alternatives to Arrest and Incarceration; Length of Stay; and Mental Health, Solitary Confinement and Incarceration.

“The three workgroups addressed critical issues with a great deal of dedication and commitment.  I have high expectations for criminal justice reform and furthering our unique partnerships with the criminal justice stakeholders and the Dane County community,” County Board Chair Sharon Corrigan said in a statement today. “Monday will provide an opportunity for those who have not yet been involved to join us at the table. I hope people will come together, learn the issues and help us prioritize the next steps.”

Community members are encouraged to attend, Corrigan said. The workgroup report is available here.”

ROC Wisconsin: Restoring Our Communities — Beyond 11×15

Kick-off on November 3, at 9:30 am.  We will be meeting at Bethel Lutheran Church in Madison (the same place as the Madison Action Day last April).  This will inaugurate the new phase of our criminal justice reform campaign.  We will continue to work on the same nuts and bolts areas (e.g. TAD funding, Solitary Confinement, Old Law Parole, Crimeless Revocations, etc.).  But, it will be done with an eye on the larger picture we strive for, which includes these main aims:
  1. For Wisconsin to invest in the programs and strategies that will end the racial and economic disparities that fuel mass incarceration
  2. For Wisconsin to reduce it prison population to 11,000, and to reduce the number of people on extended supervision
  3. For Wisconsinites to view people who have been convicted of a crime as human beings and members of families.
  4. For formerly-incarcerated people to be restored to full participation in our communities, our economy and our civic life.
mosesmadison

11×15 Blueprint to End Mass Incarceration Announced Wednesday, December 10, 2014!

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Wisconsin can cut its prison population in half.  Actions taken in 2015 can make it happen.  Learn how action by people of faith and good will can be the decisive factor.

11×15 Blueprint to End Mass Incarceration
Wednesday, December 10
10:00 am
State Capitol, Room 411S

Following the presentation, anyone interested in being part of the solution is invited to nearby First United Methodist Church for lunch and to meet in groups to work on strategies to continue to demand:

  • Increased resources for Treatment Alternatives and Diversions (TAD) programs that can keep thousands of people out of prison.
  • The Second Chance Act, which will keep most 17 year-olds out of adult courts
  • Sentencing Reform
  • Parole for more than 2,500 eligible prisoners who have been denied a fair chance for release, even after they have served the time intended by judges.
  • An end to the torture that is Solitary Confinement
  • “Compassionate Release” for prisoners who are elderly and/or very ill
  • Alternatives to Revocation for many of the 4,000 people whose Supervision or Parole is revoked for “technical violations”
  • Audit and reform of a faulty GPS Monitoring system
  • Transitional Jobs opportunities for thousands of long-term unemployed Wisconsinites, including many with conviction histories
  • Ban the Box legislation and reform of the CCAP on-line data base

For more information, contact David Liners at 414-736-2099, or at david.liners1@gmail.com  Or, contact any local WISDOM organization.

mosesmadison

MOSES and WISDOM Rally to End Solitary Confinement #ReformNow #ReformWisDOCNow

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A passionate group of WISDOM’s 11X15 supporters from around the state gathered at the Capitol Wednesday to protest the inhumane practice of solitary confinement. Along with pleas from MOSES’ own Rev. Jerry Hancock, Rev. Kate Edwards and President Carol Rubin, the crowd of nearly 200 people heard appalling testimony from parents whose children have endured dehumanizing torture for years at a time. The organizers and public were moved to then march on to deliver the Reform Now! brief to Governor Walker’s office. The brief calls for a private US Department of Justice investigation of the WI Department of Corrections and an immediate response in accordance with the United Nations policy that no individual is to be subject to such treatment in excess of 15 days, despite WI accounts of both juveniles and adults being confined for 23 hours a day, in some cases for up to 15 years.

Join MOSES and WISDOM in this fight by going into the makeshift solitary cell, located State Capitol steps in downtown Madison. If your congregation would like to host this structure in the future, please contact MOSES for more details. Also, see WISDOM’s 11×15 page for more coverage of the rally.

Photo credit: Bill O'Neal

Photo credit: Bill O’Neal