By Ravenna Helson

The Wisconsin Department of Corrections (WiDOC) has a good policy in place to comply with Americans with Disabilities (ADA) guidelines; many of us have friends or family who thrive with the standard technology required for ADA accommodations in public places. Incredibly, and with serious detriment to our communities, those accommodations are not being utilized for the benefit of those in our state who are arguably most challenged by an environment requiring strict adherence to rules and schedule: Wisconsin’s incarcerated.

Correctional officers are reluctant to put information on a screen or enable vibrating pucks or wristwatches so that older hearing-impaired prisoners are aware of announcements. This results in these prisoners often getting caught in the wrong place at the wrong time. Wrongly, they are written up and given punishment as a result of behavior stemming from their impairment. This punishment cannot be undone as a result of filing appeals and the rescission of a ticket at a later time. They may have had their property taken away or forced to spend time in isolation – serious and hurtful denials of liberties they are legally afforded as they rehabilitate for reintroduction into our communities. Commonly officers pass the buck, demanding that prisoners complain to someone else, or write up that individual for simply raising the issue of ADA compliance. One officer said “do you think I have time to sit around pushing buttons?”

The WDOC, the Governor’s office and the Assembly Committee on Corrections have been unresponsive to this problem despite complaints from affected loved ones who witness the frustration of this arbitrary and unchecked disciplinary system. Many appeals are filed by inmates in response to these unwarranted disciplinary tickets (dictated by the Prison Litigation Reform Act (PLRA) which mandates prisoners must “exhaust administrative remedies”) prior to bringing court action by way of restitution. There is a practice and pattern of non-compliance by correctional officers through intentional ill will, lack of training, and/or enforcement of existing guidelines. This all could be avoided if a culture of actual rehabilitation was the norm.

The degradation of inmates’ dignity escalates tensions in the prison system. As a consequence the safety of our communities is impacted when these abused inmates are released. Responses from the WiDOC simply repeat protocols and processes, practices we know not to be true for the many whose lives have been derailed. 

Wisconsin needs a legislature that understands the outsized benefits a healthy and transparent correctional system could bring; true rehabilitation and recovery of so many of our valuable citizens. Wisconsin needs an office of independent oversight of our correctional system like the 17 states who already benefit.