The Dane County Board began formal budget deliberations Nov. 7, discussing two dueling proposals for the Dane County Jail Consolidation Project.
The goal of the consolidation project is to close the jail at the City-County Building, which many consider outdated and inhumane, and for the South Side Ferris Center to establish one consolidated facility in the Public Safety building.
One proposal, previously rejected by supervisors in March, offers a $500,000 budget amendment for a new five-story jail building, according to the Wisconsin State Journal. Proponents of this plan seek to reduce long-term racial disparities in the jail and believe this reform will reduce the jail’s population.
The $500,000 would go toward providing additional funding to county public defenders, expanding alternatives to youth incarceration and creating a weekend court, according to the Wisconsin State Journal. A mezzanine on the fifth floor would provide space for programming and other services for inmates.
The second proposal — a new proposal headed by District 3 Supervisor Analiese Eicher — would move $13.5 million from other projects to close funding gaps on a six-story jail, according to the Wisconsin State Journal. This proposal was previously approached in March and is supported by the Dane County Sheriff’s Office.
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Eicher said a six-story facility would reduce any uncertainty about overcrowding, while County Executive Joe Parisi’s budget already includes more criminal justice reform, according to the Wisconsin State Journal.
Critics of the five-floor plan said reforms aimed at reducing the number of inmates with a smaller jail is not a guarantee. Eicher said a five-story building may not meet safety requirements, which would require the City-County jail to continue operation, according to the Wisconsin State Journal.
Among those who support the five-floor plan is University of Wisconsin Professor Emerita of Sociology Pamela Oliver.
“The current jail has inhumane conditions, particularly in the ‘old’ part of the jail, where the cells are awful,” Oliver said in an email statement to the Badger Herald.
Keeping jail populations low and establishing humane conditions for inmates is among the many ways the Dane County jail can improve, Oliver said.
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In Wisconsin, Black individuals are imprisoned at a higher rate than any other state, according to Wisconsin Public Radio. A report from 2021 found that one in 36 Black adults were incarcerated in Wisconsin.
“Incarcerate fewer Black people,” Oliver said. “Statistically you can also decrease the disparity by increasing the incarceration of white people, but I believe reducing Black incarceration is the preferred alternative.”
Implementing mental health services and crisis procedures are important aspects of both proposals. The 2023 budget also includes proposals of $700,000 made by Parisi to expand a crisis response center and $1.3 million for a 24/7 mental health treatment center, according to the Wisconsin State Journal.
“People who return to jail often are mentally ill people picked up for disruptive activities,” Oliver said.
There has not been any progress on the consolidation of the Dane County jail since August, when supervisors failed to reach a consensus on three proposals, according to the Wisconsin State Journal.
