MADISON — Former inmates, families of inmates, and former prison guards pleaded with lawmakers on Tuesday for change in Wisconsin’s troubled prison system.
Their allegations detailed inhumane treatment, abuse, sexual harassment, and retaliation for filing complaints. The hearing of the Assembly corrections committee comes after a counselor was killed two weeks ago in a youth prison in northern Wisconsin. Earlier last month, a warden and eight guards at a maximum-security prison in Waupun were charged with felonies amid an investigation into four inmate deaths.
“The problems that we are having are systemic. They've been going on for decades,” Rebecca Aubart, who leads an advocacy group of women whose spouses are incarcerated, said. “It's not one person's fault, it's not one administration's fault, but it's definitely going to take all you guys to fix it. There are problems everywhere."
VIDEO: Advocates beg lawmakers to address issues in Wisconsin prisons
Aubart and others who testified claimed there is a lack of oversight within the Wisconsin Department of Corrections. Cindy Irwin, who worked for the department for 27 years, alleged that she had been fired in retaliation for repeatedly reporting sexual harassment by her supervisor.
"When these supervisors and administrators treat staff like that, can you imagine what they're doing to inmates?” she said.
Family members of people who are currently incarcerated echoed concerns about retaliation. They alleged that even when complaints are filed with the governor’s office or high-level corrections officials, they come back to the warden at the prison where their family member is incarcerated.
"Retaliation is a real thing, and we have all experienced it personally,” Aubart said. “And so, it is literally like trying to pull teeth to get people to come and talk to you guys."
The governor’s office did not respond to a message asking about complaints they have received. The Department of Corrections pointed to a letter Secretary Jared Hoy sent to lawmakers today promising to listen to testimony and look for ways to make improvements.
One step advocates pushed lawmakers to take is the creation of an independent ombudsman to handle complaints from inmates and prison staff.
A similar program has seen some success in Minnesota. Democrats in Wisconsin proposed the program last legislative session without support from Republicans who control the Legislature – a move that Republican Rep. Michael Schraa, the committee’s chair, lambasted on Tuesday.
“There is a process when we’re drafting bills,” he said. “If you’re going to draft a bill that’s all one-sided, it is not going anywhere.”
Advocates pushed for the committee to find a bipartisan compromise on the issue.
“We need everybody to work together. We need an ombudsman,” Aubart said. “We’re desperate.”
