Wisconsin is beginning a process of stopping the abuse and exploitation of inmates in state prisons. Within the last decade, state prisons have had a series of embarrassing incidents involving the gross mistreatment of inmates and their families. Fortunately, amid cries of injustice from concerned citizens and outraged victims, the prisons have made progress in resolving these issues and preventing further injustice.
In February 2003, Cynthia Rhouni, a Muslim woman, was visiting the father of her son at Columbia Correctional Institution in Portage, Wis. As required by her faith, Ms. Rhouni wears a headscarf at all times in public, which is especially important to be worn in front of men. Upon her arrival, Ms. Rhouni was forced to remove her headscarf in the presence of multiple male guards and prisoners in accordance with state law.
The disregard for the religious practices of a visitor and for Wisconsin law not to require a state institution to accommodate religious exercise is appalling and a quintessential example of the mistreatment of inmates' families. Had the prison administered a female guard to search Ms. Rhouni's headscarf for security purposes, as was her request, she would not have been humiliated and disgraced. The lawsuit filed by Ms Rhouni in 2005, backed by the American Civil Liberties Union, is pending.
Additionally, Ashok Kumar, a Dane County Board supervisor, recently authored and introduced an ordinance that would put an end to profiteering in county jails. Currently, the county employs Inmate Calling Solutions, a phone service provider, for all the phones in their jails. This service brings in over $800,000 for Dane County annually. By charging inmates' families almost $5 per call, plus an additional 50 cents per minute, the company acquires huge profits for itself and the county by exploiting the families of prison inmates. Likewise, there are no alternatives for communicating with the inmates other than a personal visit to the facility.
The practice of using the private company that guarantees the highest revenues for the county is a policy that permeates other realms of prison life, such as laundry and commissary services. With the help of the county, these companies financially exploit the poor and economically destitute, and is yet another example of the many woes of the state's prison system.
Despite the overwhelming tendency of prisons to stray from the reasonable treatment of inmates, there are progressive measures being employed by Wisconsin prisons. This year, in Waupun, Wis., the first prisoner hospice program was instituted at Dodge Correctional Institution in an attempt to accommodate the growing number of older inmates.
The creation of this program is the kind of change that needs to be seen throughout Wisconsin's prisons. The denial of fair inmate treatment has plagued correctional institutions for too long. Hospice Hope of Fond du Lac, the program that trains staff and volunteers for Dodge Correctional Institution, has noted that other prisons around Wisconsin have shown interest in implementing similar hospice programs at their facilities.
The necessity for reform in Wisconsin prisons has been recognized by the state's citizens and many organizations aimed at protecting the rights of both free citizens and prison inmates. The practice of taking advantage of the state’s defenseless prisoners must come to an end. Although disenfranchised in almost every way, inmates are not undeserving of certain inalienable rights to justice and fairness.
As seen with the hospice program in Waupun, the long-term prisoners who have reached old age and are on the verge of dying have been accommodated in a humane way, formerly absent from all prisons. The state-sanctioned profiteering of greedy corporations and the mistreatment of inmates has, it would appear, begun to meet its demise at the hands of concerned citizens. The progressive steps taken have started an important effort that must be encouraged and must continue.
Jordan Ludwig ([email protected]) is a sophomore majoring in political science.
