A new report from the Wisconsin Policy Forum has found that Wisconsin has one of the largest corrections budgets in the nation, and that Black Wisconsinites are imprisoned at close to 12 times the rate of white Wisconsinites. These findings are deeply troubling, and they raise serious questions about the state’s priorities and criminal justice system. At Jasti & Khandhar, we are committed to fighting for the rights of our clients, and we believe that everyone deserves to be treated fairly under the law. We are urging the state to take action to reform the criminal justice system and addres ..read more

Wisconsin’s Department of Corrections bans a wide variety of books inside Wisconsin prisons, including martial arts and gunsmithing. Unfortunately, the bans go far beyond weapons and violence, extending into topics such as fantasy, gaming, coding, web design, and search engine optimization. The latter makes it harder for prisoners to keep current on subjects that help reestablish a career after serving their time. Learn more here. The post Reading Restrictions Are Counterproductive to Preparing for Life After Prison appeared first on Jasti & Khandhar ..read more

The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation is pledging $125 million to arts and humanities organizations focusing on mass incarceration. Read this article to learn the powerful story of Dean Gillespie, a wrongfully convicted man who found inspiration through art while behind bars. The post “Imagining Freedom” Unleashes the Power of Art appeared first on Jasti & Khandhar ..read more

A long overdue day has finally arrived. The federal Bureau of Prisons is closing the Special Management Unit at Thomson penitentiary in Illinois. The unit is notorious for being one of the deadliest in the federal prison system, generating frequent reports of violence and abuse. The closure comes on the heels of reporting by NPR and The Marshall Project, which pointed out five suspected homicides and two suspected suicides had occurred in the unit since it opened in 2019. Learn more here. The post Notorious Federal Prison Unit to Close appeared first on Jasti & Khandhar ..read more

The Madison, Wisconsin Community Alternative Response for Emergency Services (or CARES) program answered over half of the city’s mental health calls in 2022. This totaled 935 calls within their first year of operation, and “only 3% of CARES calls resulted in transfers to MPD officers, who, by state law, are the only people who can engage in emergency detentions.” Imagine how many people will be helped by this program instead of hurt during a crisis. Read more here. The post Madison CARES Program Making a Difference in Wisconsin Mental Health Patients appeared first on Jasti & Khandhar ..read more