Since the beginning of June, inmates in Wisconsin prisons, mainly the Waupun Correctional Institute, have refused food to protest solitary confinement. On Tuesday, a Brown County group stood in solidarity with those prisoners through a prayer vigil.
The seven inmates have expressed frustration over injustices in the use of solitary confinement in Wisconsin prisons, particularly the length of time prisoners are kept secluded and the lack of options for rehabilitation and mental health help.
The organization JOSHUA of Brown County, which is a part of the larger statewide WISDOM group, hosted the prayer vigil as a way to raise awareness and encourage changes to solitary confinement practices in Wisconsin, according to event organizers.
"In the state of Wisconsin, solitary is being used at an excess," said Reverend Marian Boyle-Rohloff, part of the group JOSHUA.
Another member, Raymond Reed, feels a personal connection to the striking prisoners. His son is incarcerated in the Green Bay Correctional Institution and has been in solitary confinement before, although he's not participating in the hunger strike.
"It's hard for a father to watch his son go through that," Reed said.
The vigil's goal was to shed some light on the issue and push for changes, he explained.
"To bring awareness, let people know that this is real," he said.
However, the Department of Corrections has made changes to solitary confinement policies and is continuing to do so, according to Communications Director Tristan Clark.
The full statement from Clark and the DOC is below:
DOC has been working on implementing substantial reforms to restrictive housing over the last several years, including the announcement of a number of changes in 2015. Among the changes that have been previously implemented:
· Eliminating the minimum length of stay for inmates and limiting the maximum length of stay to 90 days, with some exceptions.
· Developing step-down programs to encourage inmates to return to general population, with the last step serving as a transition period.
· Conducting a multi-disciplinary review, including mental health professionals, of any mentally ill inmates placed in restrictive housing, to determine if restrictive housing is the appropriate placement or if an alternative option is more appropriate.
DOC will also be establishing a pilot diversion unit to divert inmates who would otherwise be placed in restrictive housing to a special unit where they can receive intensive programming.
DOC’s restrictive housing workgroup is continuing to review restrictive housing practices, with the overall goal of minimizing inmate placements and length of stay in restrictive housing and eliminating placement of mentally ill inmates in restrictive housing while increasing out-of-cell time, continuing to ensure access to medical and mental health services, and maximizing opportunities to participate in educational, religious, treatment, and other programming.
