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ESTHER: Celebrating 20 Years!

Justice, Hope and Action


Events we're highlighting as part of our twentieth anniversary

CJCC Endorses TAD

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Office of Justice Assistance LogoActing in early May, the Criminal Justice Coordinating Council of Wisconsin (CJCC) passed a resolution supporting the expansion of Treatment Alternatives and Diversion (TAD) programs as good policy and a good investment. It was the first policy recommendation the 20-member council has made since Gov. Walker created it in 2012. Expansion of TAD programs is a key goal of the 11X15 Campaign being promoted by ESTHER and other WISDOM affiliates.

“Voices From Inside: Wisconsin Prisoners Speak Out”

Cover of Voices from Inside“Voices From Inside: Wisconsin Prisoners Speak Out” is now available. The book contains excerpts from some of the hundreds of letters WISDOM has received from inmates since the start of the 11×15 campaign. The letters touch upon a variety of themes, and each of them reminds us that prisoners are human beings with hopes, dreams, regrets and questions. The letters are accompanied by reflections from judges, bishops, pastors and others, as well as important facts about the criminal justice system.

Books can be obtained from any local WISDOM group or from the WISDOM office—3195 S. Superior St., #310, Milwaukee, WI 53207. A $5 donation per book is suggested.

Another $1.5 Million for Treatment Alternatives!

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The state legislature recently approved a $1.5 million annual increase to the TAD (Treatment Alternatives and Diversions) fund. This amount builds on the $1.5 million increase that was approved in the summer of 2013. In the past year, funding for treatment alternatives has gone from $1 million per year to $4 million per year. Based on the past performance of TAD programs, we can conservatively estimate that the $3 million/year increase will result in:

Public Hearing & Candidate Forum on Prison Reform

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Inmate in a cellTell your legislators what you think! ESTHER’s Treatment Instead of Prison (TIP) task force is sponsoring a candidate forum and public hearing on Sept. 23 in Neenah. At the last forum, legislators came together for true dialogue around the table. The public gets to hear and better understand legislators’ positions on issues of prison reform. If you have a question or story to share, this is your chance!

Help spread the word; download and share the flyer here (PDF;1.6 meg)

Free film - Dead Man Walking - at Appleton Public Library November 12

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Poster for Dead Man WalkingThe movie Dead Man Walking, based on the celebrated book by Sister Helen Prejean, will be shown at the Appleton Public Library on November 12. Sister Prejean will be the keynote speaker at ESTHERs tenth anniversary banquet on December 7.

The film stars Sean Penn and Susan Sarandon, who won the Academy Award for best actress for her portrayal of Sister Helen. Dead Man Walking is exciting and moving, and the experiences portrayed in the movie were the beginning of Sister Helen’s lifelong commitment to campaigning against the death penalty and for humane treatment of those who are incarcerated. Mark your calendar.

  • Place: Appleton Public Library
  • Date: Wednesday, November 12, 2014
  • Time: 4:00 PM

Reform Now: Solitary Confinement

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Title screen of solitary confinement videoOn October 1, 2014, members of WISDOM, Wisconsin’s statewide network of faith-based social justice organizations, gathered on the Capitol steps in Madison for an extraordinary event calling attention to the abusive overuse of solitary confinement in Wisconsin’s prisons, including practices that most of the world considers torture. (Click on the image to view Tim Coursen's video of this event.)

Restore our Communities: Restorative Justice for Wisconsin

David LinersDavid Liners, State Director for WISDOM, will be speaking in Appleon on March 2, 2016 under sponsorship of the Noonhour Philosophers program of Trinity Lutheran Church, Appleton. His topic will be ROC Wisconsin, an ongoing project of WISDOM, working alongside its affiliates and partners (including EXPO—Ex-Prisoners Organizing), to reform the criminal justice system in our state so that it helps to build up our communities instead of tearing them down.

  • Wednesday, March 2, 2016
  • 12:00-1:00 p.m.
  • Trinity Lutheran Church
    209 S. Allen St., Appleton
  • Free and open to all; no advance registration required

Alternative Courts Education Forum

LWV Appleton Logo

Judge John Des JardinsBernie VetroneJudge John Des Jardins and Treatment Services Director Bernie Vetrone will describe ongoing work leading towards a system-wide, evidence-based approach to evaluation, treatment, and incarceration of criminal defendants in Outagamie County, Wisconsin.

Thursday, May 5, 7:00 pm
Appleton Public Library, Room C

Outagamie County is one of eighteen counties in the nation chosen to participate in this National Institute of Corrections-sponsored project.

Read more about the project in this article from the Post Crescent of March 23, 2015.

Mariposa and the Saint

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Scene from the play Mariposa & the SaintOn Wednesday, April 27, from 6:30-8:00 pm, the Fox Valley Unitarian Universalist Fellowship is hosting Mariposa & the Saint, From Solitary Confinement: A Play Through Letters. The play recreates Mariposa's experience in solitary through letters written to a friend. The initial performances were held in New York under auspices of the NY Campaign for Alternatives to Isolated Confinement. Admission is free; a goodwill offering is appreciated.

Download a flyer here.

Getting Smart on Crime

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Learn about evidence-based practices in criminal justice.

Judge John Des JardinsMonday, December 5, 2016, 6:00 pm
Free admission; open to the public
St. Mark's Lutheran Church
140 South Green Bay Road
Neenah, WI

Come hear Circuit Court Judge John Des Jardins and Criminal Justice Treatment Services Director Bernie Vetrone explain Outagamie County’s Smart on Crime Initiative, one of only 25 such projects in the nation.

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