Open Letter to Governor Evers' Office

Below is an email sent to Governor Evers' policy advisor, Katie Domina. Katie has told us that she is the go-to person in the Governor's administration for prison related issues, but every time we've gone to her, we get the kind of non-answers we've gotten about our clemency waiver requests.

Tony Evers is the governor of the state with some of the hottest incarceration hotspots in the world, as well as the greatest racial disparities, and some of the most restrictive and abusive criminal legal policies and practices. Wisconsin is a dramatic outlier, and the Governor needs to have a specialist in the role of addressing these problems. He must appoint someone to take a singular focus on the prison system, someone with expertise and direct experience.

Everyone touched by the Wisconsin's horrific prison system should demand nothing less.

Hello Katie,

We are aware that the governor created pardon / clemency criteria that exclude all currently incarcerated people. Those criteria are unacceptable, and the governor can change them with the stroke of a pen. What I want to know is what is happening with the clemency waiver requests that we've sent to his office. Do those requests ever touch his desk, or do you file or discard them because they do not fit his heartless criteria?

We have also published the requests, in two batches and have been holding biweekly online press conferences (on April 21, May 5, and May 19) where we share stories and testimony from the people who you all are disregarding as unworthy of even consideration for release. Journalists have been attending these events and writing about the governor's failure to take ethical action. See articles in The Journal Sentinel, Wisconsin State Journal, and The Wisconsin Examiner.

It has been obvious from the start of your administration that you all in the governors office do not care about criminalized people. Wisconsin has some of the highest incarceration rates and racial disparities in prisons nation-wide. National-level prisoner advocates, and people held on interstate transfers have told us that conditions in Wisconsin prisons are more restrictive, racist, and abusive than most states.

End the DOC Money Scam Action

Since Scott Walker signed Act 355 into law in 2016, the Wisconsin DOC has been taking fees and restitution out of any money that people put on the books of their incarcerated loved ones. Act 355 leaves the DOC to determine the percentage of funds taken, and the new administration has continued Scott Walker's predatory practice of taking 50% or more from contributions. Learn more here.

A Call for Action

We want to hear from you.  We want to hear your story of how providing for your loved one inside prison is affecting you.  Under Act 355, DOC is allowed to withhold an amount or a percentage of any money on your loved one’s account.  This amount can be changed at any time by Secretary Carr or Administrator Makda Fessahaye.

Our plan is to collect your letters before March 31 and host a rally where we shall present all of the letters to Makda Fessahaye. 

Please send your letter to:
Kay Lanctot
914 Marshall Drive
Mauston, WI 53948


Or email it to her here: 
coaldust216@yahoo.com

Please send by March 31, we will have the rally and letter delivery sometime in early April. 

A letter template- fill in with your own words and experiences.  

Update on retaliation against Ron Schroeder for his legal work

An incarcerated friend of Ron Schroeder sent us this update about the obstruction and retaliation staff at Oshkosh Correctional Institution (OSCI) are putting him through because he's filed lawsuits against the DOC.

This and other letters we've received suggests a larger pattern of DOC staff routinely covering for themselves by preventing incarcerated people from accessing their legal work in a timely manner.

To support Ron's fight against retaliation and obstruction, please contact DAI Administrator Makda Fessahaye: Makda.Fessehaye@Wisconsin.gov Details and suggested email below.

We are seeking legal help with this and many other issues. FFUP has no funds to pay a lawyer, but we are in contact with skilled incarcerated litigators who are diligent about preparing cases and complaints in accordance with the Prison Litigation Reform Act (PLRA).

Lawyers who are willing and able to take on civil cases for incarcerated people in Wisconsin should please contact Peg Swan at pgswan3@aol.com.


Ron's story:

It's said awareness is the first step in creating change. Here's a timeline of recent events regarding Ron Schroeder and his lawsuit regarding his wrongful termination from the library.

Warfare at Columbia Correctional Institution

Columbia Correctional Institution

Columbia Correctional Institution (CCI) has had off-and-on lockdowns in recent weeks due to conflicts we have come to believe were instigated by racist staff members in order to demonize captives who defend themselves against abusive conditions. CCI is operating at 150% of its design capacity. This unnecessary and avoidable overcrowding is the root of problems in this and other Department of Corrections (DOC) facilities. The tension and “psychological warfare” practices of CCI’s guards seems to be escalating, while incarcerated people demand new structures to interrupt cycles of violence.

What’s happened

The DOC has confirmed a series of three violent incidents leading to facility lockdowns. Our incarcerated contacts sent us detailed reports about these incidents, which conflict with what DOC officials were told by their staff.

On October 22- a sergeant named Fitz called a Black man “boy”. The man responded by attacking Fitz, leaving him “severely beaten”. The facility went on lockdown until Oct 25.

On October 29- four days after coming off lockdown, another sergeant, Sgt Gander provoked another Black man by calling him the N-word. Gander was also assaulted, but less severely. The facility went on lockdown again until November 5.

On November 8- a CO or sergeant named Sainsbury (spelling uncertain) was stabbed during program services. The facility has been on lockdown and people inside deprived of basic rights and the fundamentals of human dignity from November 8 to the date of this writing (November 21).

On Tuesday November 19, Makda Fessahaye, the head of the DOC’s Division of Adult Institutions (DAI) spoke on a panel at Marquette University in Milwaukee. After the panel she told Ben Turk of FFUP that she was investigating these incidents, but had been told all three staff members “were blindsided”. Our sources insist “nobody is just randomly assaulting staff.”

FFUP meets with Wisconsin DOC's Division of Adult Institutions

DOC Headquarters

Last week Ben from FFUP met with Makda Fessehaye, the administrator for Wisconsin’s Division of Adult Institutions and Molly Vidal, head of the DOC’s communication office. We will be having meetings like this quarterly. The next will be early January, which Peg Swan intends to also attend.

Here are the questions we asked, the answers we gained, and the next step actions we will be taking. This is a lot of work for a very small organization. If you'd like to get involved and meet with Ben sometime soon in Milwaukee, please email him at insurgent.ben@gmail.com. 

Makda Fessahaye, DAI Administrator

Molly Vidal, DOC Communications Director

 

QUESTION: What has the new administration done to reduce the use of solitary confinement in Wisconsin prisons?  

• Answer:
  • They created a Restrictive Housing Unit (RHU) working group that’s reviewing policies to reduce solitary use, especially for people with mental health conditions.
    • There will be a time when public input is requested and Makda will include us in the process.
    • The biggest roadblock is gaining buy-in from staff. Makda and Molly said that staff see solitary confinement as a tool that keeps them safe, so it is hard to take that away without giving them a replacement tool or some assurance that they’ll be safe.
    • In the Division of Juvenile Corrections (DJC) they were required by federal department of justice to stop using solitary on kids, and it took years to implement.
      • Note: They’re still struggling with implementation, for example staff is tipping off reporters about incidents where kids fight with staff.
    • They called the changes they’re working on a “big overhaul” and said its coming just a few years after a previous “big overhaul” -the 90 days limit thing from 2015.
• Follow up Action: