by MOSES Publications | Jan 17, 2026 | Advocacy, WISDOM, Yearbook
On Nov. 12, advocates from WISDOM and affiliated organizations packed a hearing room at the Capitol for a Listening Session on key issues affecting our state. Unusually for those of us in MOSES, this event provided an opportunity to hear not only from those seeking reforms to the criminal-legal system, but also from immigrant families, dairy farmers who employ immigrants, and a representative of the “Rights of Nature” movement about strengthening environmental protection. All agreed on the urgent need for legislation that would give undocumented workers
the legal right to drive and a license to prove it. The event drew two familiar members of the Legislature – Reps. Darrin Madison and Ryan Clancy of Milwaukee – and two new ones – Reps. Amaad Rivera-Wagner of Green Bay and Karen DeSanto of Baraboo. Another seven legislators sent staff members from their offices.
Organizers agreed that the event was successful in getting our issues onto the radar of more lawmakers, but we need to follow up with a campaign of office visits and sustained conversations before this session ends.
by MOSES Publications | Jan 17, 2026 | Criminal Legal System, Events, WISDOM Conditions of Confinement, Yearbook
On Oct. 11 and 12, the nationwide Journey to Justice/Unlock the Box Bus Tour stopped in Madison, providing extraordinary opportunities to learn what solitary confinement is like and what it does to people. Visitors to the bus could lie down on the narrow bunk in a solitary-sized cell, see photographs, read moving letters from prisoners in solitary about the sights they missed most, listen to audio recordings about solitary, and much more. There was simply not enough time to take it all in.
Inside the Madison Christian Community building, whose parking lot hosted the bus that Sunday, attendees had the opportunity to hear two memorable panel discussions. The first panel brought together four people who could testify from their own experience to the destructive effects of solitary confinement – JenAnn Bauer, Talib Akbar, Ventae Parrow, and Megan Hoffman Kolb – and four state legislators who are proposing measures that would drastically limit solitary and improve other conditions of confinement in Wisconsin prisons. The legislators who participated were Reps. Darrin Madison and Ryan Clancy, both of Milwaukee, Rep. Francesca Hong of Madison, and Sen. Kelda Roys, also from Madison.
The later panel, focused specifically on Women in Solitary, was more sparsely attended but equally hard-hitting. Panelists Juli Bliefnick, Yolanda Perkins, and Jessica Jacobs shared painful experiences that they had personally experienced or witnessed and answered questions from the audience.
For more details on this event, see the fine article by Frank Zufall, “Nationwide bus tour dramatizes the horror of solitary confinement,” published online by the Wisconsin Examiner on Oct. 16, 2025.
by MOSES Publications | Jan 17, 2026 | Criminal Legal System, Events, Organizations and Alliances, Policing, Racism and Racial Equity, Yearbook
On Jan. 17, 2025, JustDane and the Madison Justice Team hosted “A Just Conversation on Discretion, Charging Disparities, and Racial Dynamics in Criminal Justice.” This event featured a panel of experts on different aspects of the criminal-legal system, especially as it operates in Dane County.
- Detective Sgt. Kenneth Mosley, a member of the Madison Police Department since 2007, emphasized the MPD’s efforts to reduce racial disparities in the ways police treat civilians.
- UW-Madison Sociology Professor Emeritus Doug Maynard shared the results of a national study of racial patterns in traffic stops and his own study of how police officers can inadvertently trigger resistance by the way they address drivers.
- UW Criminal Law Professor Larry Glinberg, who has experience both as a prosecutor and as a defender, addressed the problems created by D.A.s who “stack charges,” piling up charges and increasing the severity of penalties in a way that may not improve public safety but definitely feeds mass incarceration.
- Attorney Jack Idlas, a criminal-law specialist currently working as a public defender, described the nearly impossible job of providing adequate representation for most indigent clients, given the size of a typical caseload and the inefficiencies and other barriers built into the system.
- Federal District Judge James Peterson suggested that the best way of reducing disparities in sentencing would be to give judges more discretion. Imposing mandatory guidelines and minimum sentences, he argued, has been a major contributor to mass incarceration.
by MOSES Publications | Jan 17, 2026 | MOSES leadership, Yearbook
Dear MOSES Family,
I extend my heartfelt gratitude to each of you for your hard work, unwavering support, deep dedication, and steadfast determination. Because of your commitment, we continue to build collective power and move closer to dismantling the unjust systems that harm our communities.
As we reflect on this past year, my heart is filled with gratitude, hope, and renewed determination. The journey toward justice is never easy, yet each one of you — members, volunteers, partners, and supporters — has shown what is possible when ordinary people unite with extraordinary purpose.
In 2025, MOSES continued to build collective power to dismantle the systems of mass incarceration and mass supervision and to eradicate the racial disparities in our community that contribute to them. These systems have harmed our communities for far too long. We lifted our voices at the Capitol. We met with leaders and decision-makers. We listened to the voices in our congregations, our neighborhoods, our workplaces, and our homes. And just as importantly, we cared for one another — offering strength when the road was hard and celebrating every victory, large or small.
This yearbook is more than a collection of photos and events. It is a testament to who we are: an organization rooted in faith, collaboration, courage, and deep love for our community. It reminds us that justice is not a moment — it is a commitment. It is the steady work of people who believe in equity, dignity, and the boundless potential of every human being.
Looking ahead, we will continue to challenge systems that do not serve us. We will continue to uplift voices that have been ignored. And we will continue to embody the values that guide us: strength, equity, and solidarity.
Thank you for standing with MOSES. Thank you for showing up. Thank you for believing that change is possible — and for working every day to make it real. Together, we will keep pushing forward until justice rolls down like waters and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream.
With gratitude and determination,
Saundra Brown, President
MOSES – Madison Organizing in Strength, Equity, and Solidarity
by MOSES Publications | Jan 17, 2026 | Advocacy, Community Issues, MOSES leadership, Yearbook
MOSES Advocates to Restore Safety-Net Funding to 2026 Dane County Budget
Creating the 2026 Dane County budget was a difficult process. For starters, there was a $31-million deficit, driven by rising expenses — especially in health care – that bumped up against state-imposed revenue caps. County Executive Melissa Agard requested that all departments take a 4% cut off their base, and all departments complied except the Sheriff’s Office; Sheriff Barrett argued that any change to his budget would reduce public safety. Agard then cut an additional 4% from all Purchase of Service (POS) agencies, which primarily affected human services. (The Dane County Department of Human Services (DHS) uses POS agencies to implement many of its programs; examples of POS agencies are Journey Mental Health and JustDane.) The additional 4% was on top of cuts the DHS had already made — cuts that had already affected the POS agencies.
In addition, the executive budget did not adequately deal with a pending crisis in the homeless-shelter system. The current men’s shelter is being replaced with a new purpose-built shelter, which, while much better, has a capacity of only 250. Unfortunately, there is not adequate funding to run this shelter, and the need has soared to as many as 400 men per night. Because of the increased need, an overflow shelter is now needed for the coldest months of the year.
The situation was looking very discouraging, but then a bold proposal came out of the Health and Human Needs committee (HHN), which is chaired by Supervisor Heidi Wegleitner. She suggested amendments to address the POS cuts, the homeless concerns, and several other issues that had not been addressed in the executive budget. Heidi worked with the Public Protection and Judiciary committee (PP&J), chaired by Supervisor Richelle Andrae, to introduce budget amendments to fund the needs listed above by cutting unfilled positions from the Sheriff’s Office. MOSES members attended HHN and PP&J meetings and gave testimony in support of these amendments. Dozens of other people, many representing organizations, also testified in support.
The amendments passed HHN and PP&J and then went to the Personnel and Finance committee (P&F), where, again, MOSES members organized to give spoken testimony and to register written support in favor of the amendments. After extensive discussions led by County Board Chair Patrick Miles, the PP&J amendments were replaced with a one-year compromise amendment proposed by the Personnel and Finance Committee (P&F). This amendment froze but did not cut 20 Sheriff’s Office positions, which are unlikely to be filled in 2026. P&F also found additional savings in the budget, which, when combined with the funding from the frozen Sheriff’s Office positions, restored most of the funding needed for the HHN amendments. Both Sheriff Barrett and HHN Chair Wegleitner said that they could live with the compromise, although the Sheriff continues to criticize it.
MOSES members testified to the full County Board in favor of the P&F compromise amendments. On Nov. 6, the day of the vote, MOSES organized a rally in front of the City County Building. The rally was well attended; it included representatives from over half of our 22 member congregations and drew significant media coverage. After a lengthy and contentious debate, the County Board approved the compromise and passed the budget with a 32-5 vote.
The 2026 budget helps to preserve Dane County’s safety net. It won’t take any Sheriff ‘s deputies out of the jail or out of rural communities. Public safety is much more than law enforcement; preserving the safety net is an essential part of public safety. We need a permanent solution to our safety-net needs, because a budget deficit similar to that of 2026 is projected for 2027.
