1,000 people of faith rally at the state capitol, demand treatment instead of prison
On Thursday, March 14, more than 1,000 supporters of Criminal Justice Reform gathered in Madison to call for change. Clergy and congregants comprising 17 different faith traditions joined together to profoundly impact funding for treatment and alternatives to incarceration in Wisconsin.
A powerful rally highlighted the need for prison reform and furthered the call for a greater investment in treatment and alternatives to incarceration as key religious leaders spoke to the issue.
Every legislator in the state capitol was reached as those in attendance met with the senator and assembly member that represents them to call for a $75 million investment in the state budget for alternatives to incarceration.
In Wisconsin, we know we have too many people in our prisons and we know the solution. We know that Treatment Alternatives and Diversions (TAD) work. They are cheaper and more effective than jail and prison time for low-risk offenders. There is no excuse for our legislature and Governor to delay any further. Every day we wait is a day of wasted money and wasted human potential.
The evidence is in. The time is now. Expand TAD to $75 million in this budget; save more than $75 million in the next budget.
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Wisconsin leads nation in black male incarceration rates
Wisconsin has the highest black male incarceration rate in the United States, according to the 2010 decennial census. The rate (1 out of 8 African American men ages 18-64 were in state prisons and local jails in April 2010) is nearly double that of the nation as a whole and 32% higher than the next worst state (Oklahoma). The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Employment and Training Institute released a new study on Wisconsin’s Mass Incarceration of African American Males: Workforce Challenges for 2013.
The prison population in Wisconsin has more than tripled since 1990, fueled by increased government funding for drug enforcement (rather than treatment) and prison construction, three-strike rules, mandatory minimum sentence laws, truth-in-sentencing replacing judicial discretion in setting punishments, concentrated policing in minority communities, and state incarceration for minor probation and supervision violations. Particularly impacted were African American males, with the 2010 U.S. Census showing Wisconsin having the highest black male incarceration rate in the nation. In Milwaukee County over half of African American men in their 30s have served time in state prison.
Link to one page summary report
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Updated 11×15 PowerPoint Presentation (2013)
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Click here if you want to schedule a presentation about the 11X15 campaign for your organization, congregation, class or group, or to contact a campaign organizer.
We are not any safer. Our state’s incarceration rate has grown dramatically in recent decades. The system we now have is wasteful (we spend more than twice as much per year on Corrections as our neighbors in Minnesota, though we have similar populations), it is ineffective (our overuse of prisons and jails makes us less safe than we would be if we used more alternatives), and it is unfair (the racial disparities in Wisconsin’s prison system are among the worst in the nation).
Incarceration comes with a cost. We pay a huge human price for our overuse of incarceration. Families and communities have been destroyed. Costs have risen dramatically. The cost of Corrections in Wisconsin has risen from under $200 million per year in 1990 to more than $1.3 billion in 2011.
There are effective options. The good news is that alternatives to incarceration that are being proven effective every day in our state. Counties have established numerous programs: drug treatment courts, mental health courts, day report centers, universal screening, mental health courts, and more. We are learning, decisively and overwhelmingly, that alternatives to incarceration are effective by most any measure:
- Alternatives to incarceration nearly all result in markedly lower recidivism rates. That is, offenders in alternative programs tend to be rehabilitated and not to re-offend, while incarcerated offenders are more likely to commit another offense upon release
- Alternatives to incarceration are more likely to result in restoring the offender to health, especially those suffering from mental illness and/or addictions.
- Alternatives to incarceration save taxpayers a great deal of money. Most save at least $2 for every dollar spent.
Join us in moving our state in a better direction. The 11X15 goal is reasonable and possible. Even after it is achieved, Wisconsin will still have a higher rate of incarceration than Minnesota. What is needed if for the people of Wisconsin to demand a change!
Visit us often on this site. We will post links to resources for faith communities, as well as resources for the general public. We will try to keep up with the scores of articles published every month that demonstrate the need for our leaders to start being smart on crime, and to stop wasting our money and the lives of so many of our neighbors.
This is what I do for a living…..I am the Regional Program Director for Circles of Support. Our program successfully helps to transition people from incarceration back into the community. We also have a new, innovative program working with the highest risk offenders. I serve on the Brown County Corrections Board, Taycheedah Community Board, etc……
I also am an elected official on the Outagamie County Board of Supervisors and serve on the Public Safety Committee.
I appreciate your EVERY effort in this campaign. Thank you for your good work!
I want to participate in the March on 2-20. I also would like to help in any way I can. Thanks. ps I will be getting the word out.
I endorse the 11×15 Campaign. Thanks for all you are doing to help us keep informed and active. I have the gift of a dear friend at Taycheedah who was sentenced to 15 years for killing a man in an accident because she was being chased by police for cashing a check illegally. In the chase she lost control and hit a car and killed a man. She has completely turned her life around while in prison. Yet, what she really needs (and gets a little in prison) is help with her addictions. So, blessing on your ministry and thanks for sharing with us. P. S. Visiting Lara at Taycheedah is a transformative experience for me.
WE NEED REHABILITATION.
I feel that a life is wasted in prison. There is someone dear to my heart locked up and he is innocent. They never proved him guilty and there was no physical evidence to support this. He’s been locked up for 10 years. The justice system has mixed up terms on what is fair. We need a strong organization to reform the injusice of our society.
The InsideOut Project wholeheartedly supports the 11×15 mission. We thank you for all the great work you’ve done to date to bring the campaign to fruition.
Our goal is to provide sustainable solutions which empower women to succeed post-sentencing. We offer supportive treatment referral and resources along with job readiness and business training which allow women, families and the community to heal and thrive.
We are excited to show the presentation to our Progressive Baptist family and other community partners with the goal of raising awareness and financial support.
For people of faith, supporting 11×15 is a no-brainer. For people with a sense of justice, the same is true. For people whose filter is “the bottom line,” it is fiscally responsible.
Thanks for all this good work!
Great concept. But we need to train before the crime is committed.
The presentation was eye-opening, especially the comparison between the state of MN’s prison statistics vs. WI’s stats. I hope this can be included on this website. If MN can do it, so can WI. I support this effort for restorative justice.
Hooray for WISDOM of Wisconsin for kicking off this campaign. This represents community organizing at its best. The goal is to make this a massive effort in the sense of consciousness-raising for everyone possible. With that power base, our legislators, courts, bishops, pastors and religious leaders will be moved to use their collective prophetic voice to respond to this grave injustice in our state. Did you catch Mike Olig’s well-written letter to the editor that appeared in the Sunday 26 issue of the Oshkosh Northwestern? Thanks, Mike, from all of us
I listened to a presentation this morning and was thoroughly impressed! I plan on supporting efforts to make 11,000 inmates a reality…thank you Gary and Penny for giving the presentation at the Fox Valley Warming Shelter!
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larnal says i support the 11×15 campign and i have a revocation fairness petition that goes along with the 11×15 campign and if there is any way that we can support each other please contact me and let me know how I can help. I pray for your urgent response
My was convicted of obtaining a controled substance by fraud and give 2 year’s in prison. It did no good in fact it made thing’s worst. While in their she learned more way’s of criminal thinking. And now she is facing another drug charge in Oshkosh. With any luck this time she will get help not prision.
Read Michelle Alexander’s (2010) The New Jim Crow.
Please see also: http://www.ted.com/talks/bryan_stevenson_we_need_to_talk_about_an_injustice.html
First let me state that I agree with the over all idea that the prison population should be reduce. I do not know that the 11,000 is a correct number, it might be a little more or less, need more information.
The Cost of these prisons here in the state are more, you did not give a breakdown and compare WI to MN, IA, IL, IN, or MI. With this breakdown comparation we can see where the money goes to. Example, within the last few months there was articles about guards calling in sick for thier normal work hours but worked later in the day on an extra shift which they were paid time and a half or even more. So in one day effectivly they were paid for (8hrs “sick” + (8hrs for overtime “1.5″) = 20 hrs instead of just the 8 that they worked.
I have a love one in prison and is sentenced for 25 years, served 6 so far. It sure feel good there’s people like you who cares.He is a good kid, not a criminal . His life turned around in just seconds. I support the 11×15 campaign. Thank You for your good work. Linda
I have a son in prison, almost 14 years. He is not the same addicted guy he was back then, he is great guy. He did the crime but they do not have to keep throwing it your face and determine for their benefit that you haven’t served enough time. Or tell you, well back 10 years ago you got a ticket and that means you haven’t changed. It doesn’t matter that you behaved since then at all. I just heard about your campaign today from my son and support it. I wish I had know about it when you were at the Fox Valley warming shelter. Previously from Milwaukee, now in Oshkosh. Thank God for people that care like most of the families of the incaracerated.
For more in depth background on what 11×15 is all about, check out the documentary “The House I Live In.” It won a top award at the Sundance Film Festival a few months ago. It focuses on the drug/prison scene in California. Its message speaks powerfully to what our 11x`15 is all about. It was hard to find…
Check this Natgeo production, show that many see the problems but the political momentum is always tough instead of smart and pratical regrding crime. The science supports this effort, however, we all live with the illusion of invulnerability believing that we and ours will never be directly affected by a criminal justice system that is on automatic pilot. Jesus said “Man was not made for the Sabbath, but the Sabbath for man.” We must say that “Man was not for the system/bureaucracy, but the system/bureaucracy was made to serve humans in wise, practical, compassionate ways.”
May the force be with us.
mike
Forgot this
http://video.nationalgeographic.com/video/national-geographic-channel/shows/lockdown/ngc-prison-nation/
After seeing the wonders being worked with people coming out of prison through the mentoring program in Tucson, I know that more effective help will lower the prison population. At last month’s group mentoring session, I had an amazing insight. I told the mentees that after being with this program for several years, I have seen mentees become mentors. I also told the mentees that they are the hope for changing our country if they can change themselves and help others to change.
I too have a loved one in prison, sentenced to 24 years, 6 years served. He is innocent of the charges that were brought on the bases of false allegations by his accuser whose motivation was revenge. The evidence was not tested and would have proven him innocent. Prosecutorial misconduct and incompetent assistance of his defence attorney in not doing even a basic preparation for trial led to conviction. Machner hearing denied by the judge.
I work with adolescent’s who are part of the juvenile justice system. While listening to the presentation given at First Congo UCC this past Sunday I was struck by the hopelessness and inhumanity perpetuated in the current system. Though I don’t think it was the intention of the truth in sentencing law, we as a state have taken away the natural incentives that drive people to do well and succeed…that they can reap the rewards of transformation and hard work. I wish I could say that all people are able to succeed because of internal motivations to change in the absence of reward, but even the best of us do better when we see the fruits of our labors. I support opportunities for all offenders to grow themselves and become safer, healthier, and more committed members of our society.
This is absolutely wonderful! I was forwarded to this site, and I hands down support the 11 x 15 Campaign for Justice. I would love to get involved in any way I can.
Thank you for all that you do. I just heard about this and I want to help in anyway that I can. I too have a loved one in prison because of addiction. I am in recovery myself and know from doing meetings in the jail setting, that incarceration will not help a person with addictions.
Here’s to a successful campaign for justice.
This effort is very exciting because, as a former Prisoner of Conscience, and a volunteer in FLCI, DCI, and TCI for the past 7 years, and for the past 3 years volunteering with Circles of Support I’ve met many folks who could be supervised outside jail or prison rather than behind walls. I’ve known about 11×15 for several months but have been busy with other efforts until now. I’m committed to organizing around 11×15 in the Fond du Lac area.
I served 17 years as a Lifer inside the Wisconsin Prison System(75-92)and will be starting my 21rst year on ‘Parole’. While I support and encourage this effort, and will do all I can do contribute – allow me to present a perspective that the above ‘comments’ don’t touch on. Prison construction has become economically ‘RESCUING’ in times of high unemployment, it is the fastest growing ‘industry’ in the Nation and especially in Wisconsin. The U.S. Prison System has become a $60 billion a year industry growing on the backs of this nation’s taxpayers. Judges, attorneys, prosecutors, corrections and jail employees, parole boards, and a host of others depend on the ‘Criminal Dollar’ for their livelihood. Prison construction has become a booming industry in this country, with citizens of small towns like Portage and Stanley Wisconsin, waging massive campaigns to have a prison built in their town, citing economic relief as their major concern. Any effort to thwart this thriving ‘industry’ is going to be met with unlimited manpower and funding – they will win at any cost – they have no choice. The reality – Prisons don’t teach people to live in ‘Society, they teach them how to live in prison – they don’t teach them to be good citizens – but rather good ‘Inmates’ – the problem with that philosophy is that the only place you can be a good ‘Inmate’ is in Prison. Man’s inhumanity to man is being covered up by his own fear and confusion over the ever-growing crime and violence problem throughout this nation; covered up so well in fact, that man’s inhumanity to man, via our Prison System, has become one of the major ‘CONTRIBUTORS’ to Crime and Violence in this nation. I have seen dozens of 11×15 movements throughout my ‘tenure’(38 Years)in the Wisconsin penal System, and while I applaud your efforts, I fear the battle you wage is against a foe much bigger than you can imagine – they are Corrupt and Brutal, Scurrilious and without Morality – they have spent decades convincing those who support them of their ‘Dire Necessity’, of their need to exist. This is NOT about Crime and Violence, not really, it’s about ‘THEM’ and they are dug in way to deep to ever shut them down. This is about Wisconsin’s near pathological commitment to imprisonment and the $Dollars$ that it generates – this is about power and control. The promise of rehabilitation as the ‘Cornerstone’ of Corrections policy has been totally discredited, resulting in widespread confusion over the ultimate purpose of our present-day prison system. Senator Monroe Swan of Wisconsin, in a final report on Adult Corrections in 1979 declared “I believe that the Division of Corrections, the Parole Board, and the state Judiciary system should be closely scrutinzed to determine if a ‘Self-Fulfilling Prophecy’ has been created.” Lastly, If prisons do not rehabilitate, does the expectation of imprisonment at least deter would-be law breakers? NO! As a crime control measure, prisons have failed. They neither deter nor rehabilitate. For those 2,500,000 or more Americans locked away, our prisons have become breeding grounds for crime and human warehouses for profit. Few institutions illustrate our propensity for self-defeating cruelty better than our prisons and jails. Instead of rehabilitating those who need it, prisons often brutalize those who do not; instead of reducing crime, they help to increase it; instread of exemplifying the rule of law, they are among our worst examples of arbitrary administration. American prisons are both inhumane and ineffective. While I pray for your success, 11×15 Campaign, I fear the Gestapo Mentality will continue to build their Gulags and torture those within them, assuring their return. . .
Three years ago I began my journey as an advocate for the release of five men who are serving life sentences in Wisconsin prisons for a murder that they did not commit. http://WWW.SIXINNOCENTMEN.COM This injustice has prevailed for close to 20 years and the details are repeated all too often; there was no evidence to support a conviction and jail house snitch testimony was used and regarded as reliable. Additionally, there were many illegal tactics used by the authorities in this case to get it solved quickly including glossing over evidence that could create reasonable doubt. Nevertheless, the powers that be obtained solid convictions which have resisted reversals despite repeated appeals and parole hearings over the years. Even though multiple families have been destroyed needlessly, it has never mattered to the authorities in this case. There is no way that they will ever admit to any wrong doing…ever! Part of reducing the prison population has to involve reforming law enforcement practices and keeping a close eye on what they are doing during investigations because of the fact the reversals are next to impossible to achieve let alone very expensive and almost always unaffordable to the families. Although there are countless ways to reduce the prison population, there are just as many ways, if not more, to incarcerate and many of those practices, illegal or not, are used often and worldwide. These practices have to stop! Jury reform is another area we need to address. My question is this: Why are 12 people in a jury box allowed to and even encouraged to come back with a guilty verdict when it is so blatantly clear that there was absolute doubt with no evidence to support a conviction?? It is estimated that currently 10% of our prison population alone consists of innocent people. We need to ask ourselves why is this so and why are the people that we are supposed to be able to trust, using illegal practices in order to incarcerate and why are they able to stay in power?? Where is the fact checking for attorneys and judges as well, as they play a vital role in supporting these practices and they repeatedly abuse their power to further careers and keep the prison “businesses” full and profitable?? I’m not a professional in the legal system but I can see how badly it needs to change! I support wholeheartedly, organizations such as this one who are willing to become part of the solution to promote reform for this badly flawed system.
I support the 11×15 campaign. We have way to many people locked down here in Wisconsin. We must come together as one unit to break down the continuing “corruption” by those who have the “power” to lock down those we love and care about.
I fully and firmly support the 11×15 program. The benefits seem very apparent. I can personally testify to the effectiveness of rehabilitation versus incarceration. I have been through both scenarios and not only have i ceased to use drugs and alcohol, but have also been given the resources to deal with my underlying psychological, emotional and family issues which caused me to use in the first place. As a result of my sobriety I no longer commit crimes and am stable. It has given me the opportunity to work and pay taxes. Having me put through this type of rehabilitation has no doubt saved tax payers a significant sum of money and well continue to do so into the future. Thank you to all who support. The numbers speak for themselves. Keep up the good work. I am willing to help in any way possible.
I have not had the opportunity to review the presentation, but reading the words written as an interduction, I agree and support the focus behind this campaign. I have witnessed first hand the obsurd and unjust actions of the judicial system in this state. Something does have to be done. People with mental health issues will not stop having those issues without support and help. People will continue to go back to their addictions without the support and education on how to change their behaviors. Something needs to be done and if I can do anything to help, I will try.
Can someone tell me why the letter I forwarded fromKeith Kutska a month and a half ago has not been published?
Thank you!
Shirley De Lorme
I visit someone at GBCI. This is someone I met after he was locked up. My heart went out to him when he was on trial. I had to do something. He is such a wonderful person and does not deserve to be there. Yes, he made a mistake but he deserves a second chance. Like a lot of inmates. They need help wth how to deal with life on the outside. We need to do something to help!
Thank you for your question Shirley. These type letters are given to an author who is working with WISDOM. She goes through them and posts those that seem the most inclusive of issues inmates are having while in the system. These are found on the Stories from the System tab of this web site. We can not advocate for any one person; only work to change the systems and let people know that these are real people not just numbers in the system. They also give us real stories when working with legislators to help legislators understand and hopefully work with us for the changes we are trying to make. When you see a story or letter in one of the threads, it has been entered either by the person them-self, or another, for them. We encourage inmates to write their truthful stories of what caused them to be in the system; how it has changed theirs life and the lives of their families; difficulties they have had in the system; what they feel about the future for themselves when they are released; and any support programs they feel that they will need. We ask the story be mailed to the WISDOM Office, because people tend to skip over long posts.
I had an opportunity to sit in on the drug and alcohol court last Friday in Winnebago county. what a wonderful experience to see 15 young adults show up and work the program. The excitement in the court room for all the success stories was overwhelming. Judge Scott Woldt is making a difference to these young adults and their road to recovery. It does go to show that treatment instead of prison is making a difference. We need many more programs in our counties to help those that will help themselves if given the proper programs.
I have a son whom is incarcerated and has been for 12 years. The court case was very ugly in that the witnesses came to court on drugs and admitted it while under oath. Yes! There was also some witnesses (a mature older couple) who testified in my sons behalf based on what happened the night of the said crime and their testimony was ignored. The other person involved in the incident got about 7 years I believe and my son received almost life you could say. I would love to have someone look into his case and see if he could be looking at getting out soon in lieu of the unfairness which took place at his hearing. I know without a doubt his life has been reversed and he will be doing life differently then before. Someone hear my cry~~
P.S. If you have not already done so, please read Robert J. Morgan’s very well expressed post above.
A quote that sticks with me: “The reality – Prisons don’t teach people to live in ‘Society, they teach them how to live in prison – they don’t teach them to be good citizens – but rather good ‘Inmates’”
Well said, Mr. Morgan.
For addicts who are ready to turn their lives around, Drug Court can be the best answer. A drug court program provides counseling, direction, accountability; it requires work, school, and/or community service; and it gives structure to lives that have been out of control. It’s certainly more economical and effective than prison for non-violent offenders.
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