In endorsing my re-election this weekend, The Capital Times wrote, “Blanchard … seeks out and implements innovative proposals for making the office more responsive to the community — placing an emphasis on protecting the victims of domestic violence, prosecuting elder abuse and working with community leaders to end racial disparities in our criminal justice system.”
Congresswoman Tammy Baldwin, Sen. Russ Feingold, Mayor Dave Cieslewicz, Lt. Gov. Barbara Lawton and progressive leader Ed Garvey are among those who have also endorsed my re-election. They recognize that we are setting the right priorities and that we do not shy away from the difficult issues.
Instead of using this space merely to touch on many topics, let me focus primarily on one issue that is particularly important to our shared goal of a safe and productive Dane County for all citizens: disproportionate minority confinement (DMC).
DMC has deep roots in public and private institutions, both inside and outside criminal justice systems. Given the huge disparities today in Dane County, we have strong moral and ethical responsibilities to look closely to see what we can do to improve the picture, and we have been doing exactly that.
As District Attorney, I have worked with police to reduce the potential for racial profiling of suspects and the potential for prosecution of innocent persons. We have made it clear that racial profiling is not tolerated, and we will not pursue charges resulting from any investigation in which it appears that race may have been used as a proxy for criminality. Similarly, we fairly but aggressively charge hate crime enhancers, punishing and deterring those who would single out someone as a crime victim based on the victim’s race, gender, sexual preference or other immutable characteristic, and sending a strong message that our criminal justice system exists to uphold the rights of all citizens.
A highly experienced assistant district attorney, Barb Franks, is midway through a focused two-year effort to identify how we can reduce DMC in our juvenile justice system. I am active member of this committee, which is collecting relevant data, looking at key decision points in the criminal justice system, and assessing how the practices at those decision points may contribute to inequity.
I actively support expansion of programs that protect the public and build on the strengths of kids and adults who have mental illness, substance abuse problems and other challenges, a significant percentage of whom are persons of color, to avoid jail if consistent with public safety. We come out ahead as a community when we connect them with medication, housing and employment or training. We need to invest more intelligently in people who are unstable, underemployed and often homeless. Jail and prison should not be used to warehouse persons sick with a form of mental illness.
Finally, we have expanded Drug Court Treatment Program (DCTP) admissions to include some offenders whose crime was possession with intent to distribute, and not merely the possession cases, and also offenders whose identified crime was a property crime, but whose problem is addiction. The small-time dealer is sometimes a young black male who has a low educational level, sometimes with substance-abuse problems. When we use DCTP to stabilize their lives into training or work and away from jail or prison, we sometimes save a life as well as reduce DMC.
We cannot afford to lose much of a generation of young people to cycles of crime, confinement, more crime, more confinement and despair. Fortunately, there is widespread willingness, of which we should be proud and on which we should build, to make changes to help reduce DMC. I will continue to be a strong advocate for more resources to fund the programs and initiatives that are proven effective in reducing DMC.
Many are aware of the work of the Dane County DA’s Office because of the high profile political corruption cases we are pursuing. I am proud of that work on behalf of basic integrity and honesty in state government. But our focus on systemic, societal issues such as DMC also has a significant impact on the quality of life in Dane County.
I respectfully ask for an opportunity to continue this important work and for your vote today.
Brian Blanchard is the Dane County District Attorney and is seeking re-election.