Thursday

Bridge Of Voices #17

Wisconsinites: why spend 20 to 60 thousand a year per prisoner to incarcerate those who are rehabilitated and ready for release?
DISCUSSION NEEDED: WHAT ARE OUR PRISONS FOR?












Here are 3 views of prisons
explanations below:
1)For many rural Wisconsin communities, Prisons have Replaced farming as the major source of income. Prison closings to save money brings fierce opposition.
This is protest of MI prison closing

2)PAW (Prison Action Wisconsin) 2008 protest: “return our loved ones”

3)Teachers, programs are bring dropped all over the country in grade school, high school and colleges. Each prisoner costs the state 20 to 60ooo dollars a year. Tuition for a year at a UW campus costs around 6000.Here, MI students protest cutting scholarship program and the state's spending on prisons


Included in this Newsletter:
Page 1: INTRODUCING: Community Forgiveness and Reconciliation Movement, CFARM
Page 2: Asks with our budgets in crisis, why aren’t we discussing prison spending?
Page 3: The case for second chance of juvenile offenders. Story of Andre Bridges
Page 4: "Congratulations Graduate"
Pages 5: Sampling of studies done by Wisconsin and National groups discussing why US has highest incarceration rate in world and what we can do about it
Page 6, 7: A primer on parole in Wisconsin, by the Milwaukee Journal, why our prison are overflowing.
Page 8: “When the people come together, the people can win” By: Juan Q Ward
Page 9, 10: Survey ; Page 11: Petition for parole for “old Law” prisoners