The effects of a state policy which sends people who have not committed a new crime back to prison for violating a rule governing their release will be the focus of a presentation at 4 p.m. Wednesday at Unity Christ Center, 1808 Folsom St. in Eau Claire.
The event is sponsored by JONAH (Joining Our Neighbors, Advancing Hope), a local grassroots faith-based organization concerned with social justice issues, and is open to the public.
David Liners, executive director of WISDOM, will lead the presentation. WISDOM is the state umbrella organization to which JONAH belongs. Some 160 congregations from 19 different religious traditions participate in its local member groups.
Liners and others will discuss the findings of a report dealing with the issue of revocation with no new conviction. This “Health Impact Assessment on Crimeless Revocation” study deals with the 3,000 or so people who were returned to Wisconsin prisons in 2015 for rules violations.
The study also explores how this policy affects the families of those sent back to prison. This included some 3,000 children in Wisconsin last year, according to a JONAH press release.
Other groups involved with WISDOM in compiling the report were Human Impact Partners, a research group, and EXPO (EX-Prisoners Organizing), which is in the process of setting up a local organization.
The presentation will include in-depth information from the study and testimonials from people who have been through the system. There will be time for questions after the presentation.
Created: December 12, 2016 Contact: Donna Raleigh, draleigh@uwec.edu |