WISDOM/EXPO is planning on confronting the Wisconsin Department of Corrections (WI DOC) on Tuesday, March 6, 10 a.m., to talk about conditions and practices that lead to high mortality rate for Wisconsin prisoners.

WISDOM is a statewide network of faith communities that work to promote the common good by building diverse communities and encouraging broad participation in the democratic process. EXPO – for Ex-Prisoners Organizing – is the name WISDOM’s formerly-incarcerated leaders, who work to end mass incarceration, eliminate all forms of structural discrimination against formerly incarcerated people, and restore formerly incarcerated people to full participation in the life of our communities.

The Wisconsin State Assembly recently voted to have Wisconsin borrow $350 million to build a new prison, adding an in an additional $50 million per year in additional prison operating costs.

“We need to increase treatment alternatives; we need to stop re-incarcerating people on crimeless revocations; we need to re-start the parole process for parole-eligible people; we need to move more quickly to release people who are eligible for compassionate release,” EXPO President Melissa Ludin said in a statement. “If we did those things, we could reduce the prison population by at least 8,000 people.”

Ludin adds that while other states, both states led by Republicans and states led by Democrats, are reducing their prison populations and closing prisons, the Wisconsin Assembly voted to go exactly the opposite direction.

“We should be arguing about which facilities to close, not about building another one,” Ludin said. “This reckless decision to spend $350 million of our children’s money has to be opposed. If they build more prison space, there will be no incentive to do all the things we know can be done to safely reduce the prison population. If they build it, they will fill it.”

The Assembly has gone home for the year, so the final decision rests with the State Senate over SB54 and the additional $350 million. The Senate meets one more time this year on March 20.