News and Commentary
This page displays timely announcements, news reports, and articles written by MOSES members previously published in our newsletters, yearbook, or venues. 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.
Summary of JSRI Activities in 2023
JSRI spent 2023 working on the Jail (no surprise) and behavioral health. Much of the Justice System Reform Initiative (JSRI) work in 2022 was focused on the jail. This year we had a long stretch where the jail was not an issue - but spoiler alert - it roared back in December. JSRI used the time with fewer jail decisions to continue our focus on diverting people experiencing mental/behavioral health crises from the criminal legal system. Dane County Jail At the end of the 2022 County Exec...
Book Review: What’s Prison For?
What’s Prison For? Punishment and Rehabilitation in the Age of Mass Incarceration By Bill Keller, New York: Columbia Global Reports, 2023 Reviewed by Pam Gates Everyone should read this book. And I do mean everyone, at least every American. It’s short (159 pages, including footnotes), it’s concise, and it tells in a nutshell what the purpose of prison should be. And most American prisons fall far short, Keller says. We in MOSES agree with him, I’m sure, but if we could get everyone to read...
Oh, No! Not CRT! Undoing Distortions and Misinformation
Dr. Gloria Ladson-Billings spoke to Taking a Faithful Stand for Equity about Critical Race Theory. Taking a Faithful Stance for Equity is a coalition formed in 2021 to address attacks on diversity and inclusion in our schools. Leading members of the coalition are WISDOM, MICAH (the Milwaukee affiliate of WISDOM), Wisconsin Faith Voices for Justice, the Wisconsin Council of Churches, the Wisconsin Council of Rabbis, and the Interfaith Conference of Greater Milwaukee.
Communications Team Seeks Members
Want to help spread the news about all the great things happening in MOSES? Join the MOSES Communications Team! We work behind the scenes to help MOSES members carry out their work of ending mass incarceration and mass supervision and eradicating the racial disparities in our community that contribute to them. We do this through a bi-monthly newsletter and an annual yearbook. People who serve on the newsletter/yearbook team enjoy writing, keeping people informed, and working with a small...
Restorative Justice in Madison Schools
In MOSES, our Racial Justice for All Children task force (RJAC) is partnering with MMSD to support a robust implementation of restorative justice in the schools. This is one of several RJAC undertakings to disrupt the school-to-prison pipeline.
Organizer’s Corner
Organizer’s Corner By James Morgan Greetings, MOSES members! I’d like to first and once again thank each of you for your time, efforts, and dedication to our organization. We are at a unique time in our state and nation. It seems that at every turn events are occuring that tug at our hearts and minds in ways that perhaps, for some of us, are overwhelming. World, national, and local politics and politicians appear to be embroiled in a politically entrenched world of theater, ignoring the...
Eviction Records and Homelessness: Advocacy Wins
Advocacy by MOSES members persuaded the Wisconsin Supreme Court to reduce the retention of eviction petition records to one year from twenty. This is an important win as eviction petition records have been a major contributor to homelessness.
End the Lockdowns! Action Draws 200 to State Capitol
“End the Lockdowns!” Action Draws 200 to State Capitol By Pam Gates Over 200 people participated in the WISDOM-sponsored “End the Lockdowns!” action at the state Capitol on Oct. 10. Religious leaders, including the current WISDOM president, loved ones of people being held in the state prisons in question, and formerly incarcerated people spoke passionately in protest of the inhumane conditions in which many Wisconsin prisoners are held. One mother began her testimony by saying: “Had...
“FROM ASHES TO BEAUTY” TELLS STORIES WE NEED TO KNOW
"FROM ASHES TO BEAUTY" TELLS STORIES WE NEED TO KNOW By Sherry Reames On Oct. 12, Madison's First Congregational UCC hosted the showing of a short documentary that deserves a much wider audience than the few dozen people who showed up on that rainy evening. This locally made film, "From Ashes to Beauty: Stories after Incarceration," is narrated in part by Deb Mejchar, whose prison experience inspired her subsequent career as a chaplain ministering to prisoners and former prisoners....
Can Wisconsin Finally End Juvenile Life Without Parole?
The Wisconsin Alliance for Youth Justice (WAY-J) is making another push to end life- without-parole sentences for offenders under the age of 18.