A budget request would nearly double incarceration costs in Wisconsin’s juvenile justice system. Many say the funds would be better used to prevent crime. By Mario Koran Wisconsin Watch and Devin Blake Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service Wisconsin budgets nearly $463,000 a year to incarcerate each child at the state’s beleaguered juvenile prison complex in the […]
‘Use Your Voice’: Ex-Incarcerated Milwaukee Man Cherishes Regained Voting Rights
“If your vote wasn’t important, why is that the first thing they take when they take your freedom?” asks Ray Mendoza. By Mario Koran Wisconsin Watch Ray Mendoza doesn’t care who you vote for. He just wants you to vote. To Mendoza, 54, the right to vote is too precious to squander. That’s how the […]
Former Waupun Prison Warden and Employees Charged in Prisoner Deaths
Prisoners had complained about a months-long lockdown that cut them off from family members and timely medical care. By Mario Koran The New York Times / Wisconsin Watch The former warden of a Wisconsin prison and eight other prison employees were charged on Wednesday in connection with multiple prisoner deaths over the last year, the […]
Second Prisoner Dies During Waupun Correctional Institution Lockdown; Restrictions Linger at Two Additional Prisons
Staffing shortages limit prisoner movement in Waupun, Green Bay and Stanley correctional institutions — more facilities than previously disclosed. By Mario Koran The New York Times Wisconsin Watch Wisconsin Watch is a nonprofit, nonpartisan newsroom. Subscribe to our newsletters for original stories and our Friday news roundup. The Wisconsin Department of Corrections is confining prisoners to their cells […]
Inside Waupun Correctional Institution’s ‘nightmare’ lockdown
Prisoners describe unsanitary conditions and a dearth of medical care. Experts say staffing shortages are contributing to lockdowns across the country. By Mario Koran The New York Times Prisoners locked in their cells for days on end report walls speckled with feces and blood. Birds have moved in, leaving droppings on the food trays and […]
Wisconsin Students With Disabilities Often Denied Public School Options
Wisconsin lets public schools reject applications of students with disabilities who seek transfers across district lines — a form of exclusion courts have upheld. By Mario Koran Wisconsin Watch Wisconsin Watch is a nonprofit and nonpartisan newsroom. Subscribe to our newsletter to get our investigative stories and Friday news roundup. After a long and frustrating search, Beth Wisniewski […]