Why should faith communities be involved in the work to end mass incarceration?
Featuring reflections from Senator Raphael G. Warnock, Senior Pastor of the historic Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta and founding member of the Multifaith Initiative to End Mass Incarceration.
Who Should Attend
Leaders and members of congregations from various faith traditions in Wisconsin, those who are engaged in jail and/or prison ministry and want to do more, and those who are ready to partner with faith communities to reduce incarceration rates in Wisconsin.
St. Mark's Lutheran Church, 140 S. Green Bay Rd, Neenah
The ESTHER Prison Reform Task Force along with EXPO will be holding this important listening session and crucial conversation with a representative of the Wisconsin Division of Community Corrections (DCC), elected officials and YOU.
Are you, or do you know someone who is or has been, on probation or parole? Do you live in fear, have anxiety that rules or attitudes could take you back to prison? Do you have thoughts on how re-entry could be improved to make people more successful on Parole or Extended Supervision?
Then please join EXPO and ESTHER at St. Mark’s Lutheran Church in Neenah for this important conversation regarding community corrections.
“We can’t punish people into being healthy. We need for families to stay intact and for offenders to be responsible to their communities. We are all better off when people can be healed and made whole through these effective programs that bring accountability to the offender and to the community. Alternative treatment programs work better than incarceration.”
ESTHER is part of the statewide ROC WI (Restore Our Communities) Campaign. The campaign is a movement of people of faith calling for change in the Wisconsin system of incarceration.
(These programs will be recorded for later viewing by registrants who cannot attend all sessions.)
In the series, we will learn from experts, including people directly impacted by Wisconsin’s criminal legal system. We will learn about many aspects of the system, including:
Most Blessed Sacrament Church 448 High Avenue Oshkosh
We will be serving food & beverage, and child supervision is available for school-age children. In addition, rides can be arranged. All are welcome! Come join us and let's reimagine justice in Winnebago County!
If you have any questions, contact Marianne Oleson at marianne@expowisconsin.org
At ESTHER’s most recent Mental Health Task Force meeting, we were joined by two women who educated us on an issue that is currently affecting incarcerated pregnant women.
One of the women who joined us was Felicia Turner-Walton, who is the CEO and Founder of Healing Our Hearts. This is a non-profit based out of Madison that provides support to those that have experienced loss. This organization is committed to providing an understanding of grief that is centered around black and brown communities.
The issue they covered during our meeting was the injustice of shackling and how it affects incarcerated pregnant women. Prisons have historically been designed by men, for men. Inmate treatment has therefore not taken into account women’s specific needs. Pregnant inmates are thus shackled while receiving medical care because that is how all inmates are treated. Shackling is an inhumane and dangerous practice as it limits the medical care that can be provided due to the restraints and it puts more stress on the pregnant woman or birthing mother.
When I first learned of this practice during our meeting, I had a mixture of feelings. On one hand, I was shocked to learn about this inhumane practice. On the other hand, I was not surprised as prison systems have historically been created to control black and brown communities. These systems of control therefore do not take into account the specific indignities that pregnant women face and the different treatment they need to receive.
A couple weeks ago, I had the privilege of going to the state capital in Madison for EXPO’s Empathy Day of Action. We spent the day learning from EXPO leaders, senators, and representatives on Unlock the Vote and AJR 107. Using the information we learned, we got to have conversations with our legislators, representatives, and their staff. We met with those who voted in favor of AJR 107 which is a constitutional amendment that was created after the Waukesha parade tragedy.
This amendment would change the eligibility and release conditions prior to a conviction. This amendment would also create a stricter cash bail system by making it possible for judges to consider past criminal history when setting bail charges. Setting higher bail charges would punish low-income people and keep more people incarcerated if they cannot pay bail.
Most Blessed Sacrament Church 448 High Avenue Oshkosh
We will be serving food & beverage, and child supervision is available for school-age children. In addition, rides can be arranged. All are welcome! Come join us and let's reimagine justice in Winnebago County!
If you have any questions, contact Marianne Oleson at marianne@expowisconsin.org
Watch recorded video of the first hour of the program here
Sponsored by WISDOM, FREE and EXPO
Program
10 - 11 AM
Public presentation at the North Hearing Room in the State Capitol featuring remarks on Solitary Confinement, TAD, Old Law Parole, and Post-release Issues. Video of this is segment is available here.
1-2 PM
Start of Transformational Justice Convening: Welcome, Reflection, Icebreaker
11 AM - 12 PM
Drop Lit at Legislative offices and the Governor’s Office in the Stated Capitol
2-3 PM
Breakout Sessions by region: Madison Action Day and Joint Finance Committee hearings discussion
12 - 1 PM
Lunch at Grace Episcopal Church, 116 W Washington Ave, Madison
3-4 PM
- Breakout sessions: strategic planning for issue campaigns
- Closing remarks and calls to action
Help spread the word. Download and share the attached flier.
Building a Theology of Restoration and Fairness
Join the Transformational Justice Campaign leaders of EXPO and WISDOM for a 5-part Zoom series on mass incarceration in Wisconsin.
One of the women who joined us was Felicia Turner-Walton, who is the CEO and Founder of Healing Our Hearts. This is a non-profit based out of Madison that provides support to those that have experienced loss. This organization is committed to providing an understanding of grief that is centered around black and brown communities. 
A couple weeks ago, I had the privilege of going to the state capital in Madison for EXPO’s Empathy Day of Action. We spent the day learning from EXPO leaders, senators, and representatives on Unlock the Vote and AJR 107. Using the information we learned, we got to have conversations with our legislators, representatives, and their staff. We met with those who voted in favor of AJR 107 which is a constitutional amendment that was created after the Waukesha parade tragedy. 
