We’re about to find out. Will the County Board Supervisors vote to stop plans to build the jail? Will they get more than 4 or 5 votes?How will those 11 new supervisors vote? Will others have changed their minds?
Here’s the resolution that will be introduced tonight by County Board Supervisor Liz Doyle. Madison 365 has more. Here’s her post. If you have thoughts, send them to county_board_recipients@
ADDRESSING SYSTEMIC RACISM IN THE DANE COUNTY CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM AND INVESTING IN ALTERNATIVES TO INCARCERATOIN OUTSIDE OF LAW ENFORCEMENT
Dane County has the opportunity to challenge the systemic racism and racial disparities in our criminal justice system and in our community. Currently, the County has plans to spend $148 million on new jail facilities.
During the COVID-19 pandemic Dane County has shown that it can substantially lower the jail population.
Many previous recommendations for reforming the criminal justice system remain to be implemented.
Violence against people of color by law enforcement both locally and nationally has brought a change in priorities for the community and Dane County Government.
The United States incarcerates more people, most of whom are people of color, than any other nation. Both the United States and Dane County have expanded the scope and role of law enforcement over the years. Dane County has followed the national trend to allow the militarization of law enforcement changing the relationship between police and the community.
NOW, THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that Dane County will immediately halt all planning, design, architecture, and construction of a new jail facility; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that preliminary plans be developed to use the office space in the Public Safety Building for additional jail beds and assessment of remote hospital sites and community based recovery sites to handle mental health needs of residents take place to address inhumane conditions in the current facility, and
BE IT FINALLY RESOLVED that Dane County will review and implement recommendations to lower the jail population and minimize the role of law enforcement, including but not limited to:
1. Add representatives of communities of color to the Criminal Justice Council;
2. Implement virtual weekend court to lower jail population and prevent unnecessary incarceration of lower income residents;
3. Eliminate the Huber program and transfer treatment and monitoring functions to the Dane County Human Services Department, as is done in LaCrosse County;
4. Develop sentences that limit incarceration and instead focus on restorative justice that help victims and the community;
5. Dramatically reduce the use of the Dane County jail for the housing of probation and parole holds and urge the state to speed up their own adjudication and eliminate jail time for minor probation and parole offenses;
6. Review charging and sentencing decisions against leading practices nationally in order to reduce the amount of jail time recommended;
7. Lower the Average Length of Stay (ALS) and enforce time standards on in custody cases;
8. Prioritize the writing of tickets instead of jail for minor offenses by local law enforcement;
9. Create inventory of local law enforcement use of force policies throughout the County;
10. Change the incentive system in the criminal justice system from punitive to restorative by providing transparency in the criminal justice system. Publish racial disparity and incarceration statistics on the Dane County website for all actors in the criminal justice system. Begin by publishing incarceration statistics including racial disparity statistics for all Dane County judges.
11. Continue to increase the use of electronic monitoring beyond the current number;
12. Increase the use of restorative courts and implement a mental health court to divert mental health cases.
