James Morgan spent more than a decade in prison. He is now the lead peer support specialist at the Madison Urban Ministry where he helps formerly incarcerated people re-integrate into the community. Since the COVID-19 outbreak began, he’s been getting emails and phone calls from people serving time in state prisons. Here’s a recent one. […]
State Prison Officials to Reduce Inmate Population
The Wisconsin Department of Corrections is planning to release more than 1,200 inmates from DOC facilities throughout the state. The move, an attempt to quell the spread of COVID-19, will cut down on the state’s overcrowded correctional facilities. The decision to release the inmates is the latest in a series of actions designed to curb […]
Reporting on Immigration and Mass Incarceration with Nissa Rhee
On today’s episode, Ali talks with Chicago-based journalist Nissa Rhee about her work on immigration reporting, youth justice, and mass incarceration. She is joined in the studio by Carousel Bayrd to emphasize the importance of supporting independent, local media. Nissa Rhee is an independent journalist who lives in Chicago. Her work has appeared in a […]
Bail and the bigger picture in Dane County
The fight against mass incarceration is a fight to fundamentally challenge the assumptions that drive our systems of policing, jails, and prisons in America. It’s also a fight against the practice of cash bail, and there are several groups in Madison who have banded together to take that on. The Free The 350 Bail Fund […]
Is Faulty Forensic Science Destroying the Criminal Justice System?
Tune in to any number of crime shows on television, and you’ll be awed by the high-tech forensic science on display. Time and again, investigators conclusively prove a suspect’s guilt with single strands of hair or a small scrap of DNA. One would think that such forensic techniques are infallible. In truth, however, not only […]
Ankle Bracelet Use Skyrocketing In Spite of Significant Problems
Imagine having your every move tracked by the government by a device permanently fastened to your ankle. The device has a battery in it, and must be plugged in every few hours. Failure to recharge it could result in your arrest. The device often malfunctions, resulting in gaps in communication and resulting in arrest, potentially […]
