To the editor,
Gov. Scott Walker's 2015-'17 budget has proposed significant
cuts to the University of Wisconsin System and K-12 public education while
recommending $1.25 billion annually to the Department of Corrections.
Wisconsin continues to lead the states in the Midwest with
the highest number of incarcerated prisoners as well as leading the nation with
the highest rate for incarcerating African-Americans and Native Americans.
Wisconsin's total number of prisoners - more than 22,000 -
remains twice as high as the total incarcerated in Minnesota. Wisconsin's cost
per prisoner is $52,833 per year.
This is in sharp contrast to educating a student at
UW-Madison for approximately $20,000 per year including tuition, housing and
meals.
Recently, the Legislature's Joint Finance Committee approved
an additional $5 million to expand the state's prison population by 500 inmates
over the next two years.
We need to drastically lower the prison population, not
increase it. This is a bipartisan issue and even conservative Grover Norquist
has recommended reforms to reduce prison costs.
One organization that has been leading the effort for prison
reform in Wisconsin is WISDOM. This group consists of representatives from more
than 160 congregations of 19 different religious traditions throughout the
state.
They have been promoting the 11 x 15 campaign to reduce
Wisconsin's prison population to 11,000 by the end of 2015.
WISDOM recommends treatment instead of incarceration for
nonviolent offenders. We need the legislature and Department of Corrections
administration to take the steps necessary to begin a comprehensive overhaul of
our prison system.
Citizens should take action and contact Walker and their
respective legislative members to work toward reform in Wisconsin's prisons.
Jim Hansen
Burlington
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