One week after Gov. Scott McCallum rejected a proposal for the settlement of the Supermax prison lawsuit, he stopped the case from going to trial with his acceptance of a proposed settlement Thursday.
The settlement included several changes to the Boscobel prison, including a name change and a new recreation facility.
The governor abruptly rejected a deal he previously endorsed because inmates added last-minute provisions.
These provisions included a television set in every cell, sleep masks to help inmates with 24-hour lighting and a free bus service for the inmates’ families to visit them at the prison.
The shuttle service was part of the settlement originally agreed upon last week, but McCallum objected due to its cost. The inmates’ attorneys argued it was just an extension of an already-existing program serving other prisons in the state.
However, McCallum revealed plans to eliminate the program in his state budget repair proposal earlier this week. The program currently costs the state about $60,000 per year.
“The bus service and the last-minute demands made by opposing counsel placed a burden on the taxpayers. I am pleased they responded to my demand to pull the unreasonable demands off the table in the interest of the people of Wisconsin,” McCallum said in a statement. “The taxpayers are the winners in this argument.”
The lawsuit claimed some of the conditions at the prison qualify as cruel and unusual punishment.
Many human rights groups have agreed.
“[The conditions are] inhumane and in breach of international standards,” Amnesty International said.
These conditions include practices such as prisoners being kept in isolation in their cells 23 hours a day, exercise only in cramped, bare areas and visits with family only through two-way television.
Under the new settlement, inmates would have more privileges, including a reduction in the minimum amount of time inmates spend in isolation and an increase in the number of visitation hours.
Other changes in the settlement could mean clocks in all the cells and an outdoor recreation facility where inmates would be allowed at least five hours per week to exercise outside their cells.
Inmates would also have access to religious materials.
In addition, Supermax would change its name to something less demeaning to the inmates, and state officials would no longer be able to refer to the inmates as the “worst of the worst.”
“This is a victory of common sense. We’re back on track now,” said Ed Garvey, the lead attorney for the inmates in an interview with The Capital Times.
The settlement still needs to be approved by inmates and U.S. District Judge Barbara Crabb. The inmates have 30 days to approve the deal. Crabb has set a hearing for March 8.
