Rep. Madison Releases New “Conditions of Confinement” Bill Package to Address Inhumane Conditions in Wisconsin’s Prisons

MILWAUKEE, Wis. – Today, on the steps of the Milwaukee County Courthouse, Rep. Darrin Madison (D-10) released an updated and improved Conditions of Confinement bill package, developed in close consultation with advocates for humane treatment of prisoners, based on the experiences and needs of people and communities who’ve experienced incarceration.

The updated package includes free communications, a higher minimum wage for work performed while incarcerated, free feminine hygiene products, clear visitation rules for jails and prisons, access to facilities for elected officials, and basic access to sunlight, the outdoors, and recreation, among other important protections.

Representative Madison (D-10) issued the following statement:

“We are here today because the State of Wisconsin has allowed its jails and prisons to slip into crisis – not by accident, but by policy and choice.

Let me be clear: The conditions in Wisconsin’s overcrowded correctional facilities and jails are unacceptable. This package of legislation exists because we are not going to normalize the inhumane conditions people have been experiencing. Right now, people are locked in cells for 20, 22, sometimes 23 hours a day — for months on end. They are denied sunlight, denied movement, denied programming, denied medical care, denied basic human contact. There are facilities where people can’t even get consistent access to quality hygiene products or where food is so poor it doesn’t meet the basic nutritional needs of a grown adult.

Right now, even communication with family — an essential tool for reducing recidivism, according to all evidence — is treated like a privilege instead of a right. This bill package requires free communications via phone calls, video calls, and electronic messaging so that people who are incarcerated and their families and friends can always stay connected. The package also addresses the high demand and lack of access for critical programming such as drug treatment programs, education, behavioral programs, and basic recreation. These are clear, material improvements to the lives of people who are currently incarcerated and will ultimately benefit the health and safety of our communities.

This Conditions of Confinement package is not radical. It is not complicated. It says: people who are incarcerated deserve basic human rights. They deserve the ability to move. To work for fair pay. To shower daily. To call their children without being charged predatory rates. To access programming that prepares them to come home — because the majority are coming home.

If we truly believe in public safety, then we should be doing everything in our power to make sure that when people return to our communities they are mentally stable, socially connected, and prepared. Thankfully, people who were previously incarcerated and their families are leading this work and I am honored to stand by them in calling for the end of inhumane conditions in Wisconsin’s prison and jails.

This package is a line in the sand. It says: No more excuses. No more hiding. No more pretending that suffering is safety.”

NOTE: This press release was submitted to Urban Milwaukee and was not written by an Urban Milwaukee writer. While it is believed to be reliable, Urban Milwaukee does not guarantee its accuracy or completeness.