Madison Organizing in Strength, Equity, and Solidarity
for Criminal Legal System Reform

News and Commentary

This page displays timely announcements, news reports, and articles written by MOSES members previously published in our newsletters, yearbook, or venues. Signed articles offer information and interpretations to support advocacy, but are not official MOSES positions. Links to official MOSES position statements may be found on this page.  The main display shows all items with the most recent first. You can select particular topics, working groups, or types of information to see the articles of one type, with the most recent first. Also see the Publications & Resources page for links to whole newsletters and yearbooks as well as other resources for research.

EXPO Statement about Corey Ruiz

by | Jul 27, 2026 | ,

We are sharing this infographic by EXPO (Ex-Incarcerated People Organizing) because we believe it makes some important points and is worth sharing with others as part of educating the community, but it is not an official MOSES statement. For those with screen readers, the text of the poster is given below. Text of poster: Corey's past does not justify his death. A person's history is not a death sentence. Sharing screenshots from CCAP after someone has died does not justify their death. It...

MOSES Statement about the Killing of Corey Ruiz

by | Jul 23, 2026 | ,

MOSES Statement about the Killing of Corey Ruiz July 23, 2026 by Saundra Brown, MOSES President MOSES grieves the killing of Corey Ruiz by a Madison police officer, who shot and killed him on July 22 in broad daylight on Williamson Street in Madison. We lift up our prayers and support for the family, friends and neighbors of Mr. Ruiz and for the impact on the community, which once again is suffering the traumatic killing of a Black man at the hands of police. We call on the Madison Police...

OIPM findings and MPD response regarding the in-custody death of R.L. Johnson

by | Jun 24, 2026 | , ,

Barbie Jackson and Pam Oliver MOSES members have been closely following reports from the Office of the Independent Police Monitor. This article summarizes the information about one case. MADISON, WI - On Monday June 15, 2026 the Office of the Independent Police Monitor (OIPM) of the City of Madison publicly released its investigative findings in the in-custody death of Richard Lee Johnson, a 32-year-old Black man who died on December 31, 2024, one day after going into cardiac arrest during his...

MOSES in Action around Police Oversight

by | Jun 23, 2026 | , , , , ,

MOSES In Action Rachel Kincade   MOSES has officially supported police oversight including the OIPM and the PCOB since September 28, 2025. (Link to official statement) Since then, we have testified in favor of full funding and against any attempts to weaken police oversight.   Police oversight in Madison is concentrated in two bodies: 1) the Office of the Independent Police Monitor (OIPM) which investigates cases of potential police misconduct, reviews the Madison Police Standard...

Member Congregation hosts JustDane Reentry Simulation

by | Jun 4, 2026 |

Member Congregation hosts JustDane Reentry Simulation By Pam Gates   The MOSES member congregation that I belong to, Prairie Unitarian Universalist Society, received a very nice donation from the family of a founding couple after their passing. To best use the money, the Prairie board decided that committees could request funding for special projects, and the board would evaluate and select those to fund.   Three social action committee members, including the two co-chairs (I’m one...

Black Officers Share Their Thoughts on Policing

by | May 4, 2026 | , ,

Black Officers Share Their Thoughts on Policing A Black History Month Event By Pam Gates and Sherry Reames   A proud, sometimes emotional panel of Black law-enforcement officers from the Dane County Sheriff's Office and the Madison Police Department answered questions posed by moderator Shar-Ron Buie at a Black History Month event on Feb. 19. The event, spearheaded by the Madison Community Policing Foundation and called "Journey into Policing," enabled attendees to learn about the varied...

Criminal Justice Workshop at Bethel Lutheran April 23

by | May 4, 2026 | , , ,

Criminal Justice Workshop at Bethel Lutheran April 23 Kalvin Barrett, Dennis Franklin, Dana Pellebon, Paul Saeman Share Perspectives  By Pam Gates   Among the events at a one-day conference titled "Nonviolence in Action: An Interfaith Conversation on Building the Beloved Community" was an interesting workshop on Criminal Justice Reform. Dane County Sheriff Kalvin Barrett, EXPO Co-Director Dennis Franklin, Rape Crisis Center Executive Director and former Dane County Board supervisor Dana...

Finding and Becoming Allies

by | May 4, 2026 | , , , ,

Finding and Becoming Allies RJAC Working Group Connects with Schools By John Lemke The mission of the MOSES Racial Justice for All Children (RJAC) Task Force is “to eradicate the childhood-to-school-to-prison pipeline”. The members of the Restorative Justice and School Wellness group, a working group within RJAC, are seeking to understand and address that middle stepping stone – what happens in the schools. The group has found allies in this search: teachers, administrators, social workers,...

Organizer’s Corner

by | May 4, 2026 |

Organizer’s Corner: James Morgan Interview by Margaret Irwin   James is working in several areas to help MOSES be a more effective voice for criminal legal system reform in our community and state.   He is planning how best to work with the new UW student group Students Against Mass Incarceration. The training material he’s used in the past needs to be reworked and updated. He’s looking forward to strengthening this link between MOSES and the university.    The reconstituted Fundraising...

Commutations Campaign Update

by | May 3, 2026 | , , , ,

Commutations Campaign Update, by Sherry Reames On April 3 (Good Friday) Governor Evers announced the beginning of a new commutation process that will allow some prisoners in Wisconsin to shorten the remainder of their time behind bars. To implement this process, the governor is creating a Commutation Advisory Board, and his office immediately published new application forms and requirements for two kinds of candidates: juvenile lifers (people who received life sentences as teenagers) and...