(MADISON) – Sen. Lena Taylor (D-Milwaukee) released the following statement regarding the report from the Legislative Fiscal Bureau on the Wisconsin Department of Corrections’ (DOC) compliance with the federal Prison Rape Elimination Act
“Our goal should be full compliance with the Prison Rape Elimination Act. Especially in light of the fact that our juvenile corrections facility is already under federal investigation, I am deeply concerned that DOC has not made any progress worth mentioning in a year and a half in protecting juvenile offenders from rape in adult institutions. I am also concerned that the department hasn’t figured out a better solution to keeping transgender inmates safe other than isolating them in segregated facilities.
Our institutions face many barriers derived from segregation policies and staffing challenges that exacerbate these problems. We can and must do better. We should not make these changes just because the feds are telling us to. We should make them because it’s the right thing to do.”
