Letter to Angela Russell of Governors Office
PRISONER’S ACTION COALITION
P.O. Box 151
Fennimore, WI 53809
May 8, 2006
Ms. Angela Russell
Office of the Governor
State Capitol 115 East
Madison, WI 53702
Dear Ms. Russell,
Thank you for your time and consideration of the issues we brought before you. As discussed, it is difficult to get attention to prisoner rights in this political climate, so we hope that our arguments offer legitimate, public interest reasons for prison reform.
Enclosed is the infamous Tommy Thompson letter to then DOC Secretary Michael Sullivan. As you can see, the copy I have is probably the 100th generation of the original. This letter has been the impetus to a great deal of litigation regarding the violation of ex post facto law.
It is the opinion of many people that the PRC combined with the Parole Board create a Catch 22 set of rules; the Parole Board won’t release a prisoner without having completed programs, and the PRC denies programs until prisoners are close to their MR. The Parole Board may recommend minimum placement, but the PRC has no obligation to agree. Lenard Wells and his personal staff are the Parole Board, as the commissioners are DOC employees and the Parole Agents are DOC employees. The Parole Board is essentially toothless except that they have the ultimate power to release someone, no matter what the PRC says. This is a system fraught with frustration and ambiguity.
I look forward to seeing the guidelines of the Wisconsin Parole Commission so that I might better understand how so much subjective power could be placed in the hands of one person. As I mentioned, Mr. Wells confirmed that he has no risk assessment tools for determining parolability, and therefore, prisoners have no guidance as to how they may achieve early release. This is a terribly frustrating situation for prisoners who already question the “justice” system.
I have also enclosed a copy of Oklahoma Senate Bill 832 which shows how they decided to handle their overcrowding situation. “Progressive” Wisconsin might take note of this solution.
Sincerely,
Frank Van den Bosch
P.O. Box 151
Fennimore, WI 53809
May 8, 2006
Ms. Angela Russell
Office of the Governor
State Capitol 115 East
Madison, WI 53702
Dear Ms. Russell,
Thank you for your time and consideration of the issues we brought before you. As discussed, it is difficult to get attention to prisoner rights in this political climate, so we hope that our arguments offer legitimate, public interest reasons for prison reform.
Enclosed is the infamous Tommy Thompson letter to then DOC Secretary Michael Sullivan. As you can see, the copy I have is probably the 100th generation of the original. This letter has been the impetus to a great deal of litigation regarding the violation of ex post facto law.
It is the opinion of many people that the PRC combined with the Parole Board create a Catch 22 set of rules; the Parole Board won’t release a prisoner without having completed programs, and the PRC denies programs until prisoners are close to their MR. The Parole Board may recommend minimum placement, but the PRC has no obligation to agree. Lenard Wells and his personal staff are the Parole Board, as the commissioners are DOC employees and the Parole Agents are DOC employees. The Parole Board is essentially toothless except that they have the ultimate power to release someone, no matter what the PRC says. This is a system fraught with frustration and ambiguity.
I look forward to seeing the guidelines of the Wisconsin Parole Commission so that I might better understand how so much subjective power could be placed in the hands of one person. As I mentioned, Mr. Wells confirmed that he has no risk assessment tools for determining parolability, and therefore, prisoners have no guidance as to how they may achieve early release. This is a terribly frustrating situation for prisoners who already question the “justice” system.
I have also enclosed a copy of Oklahoma Senate Bill 832 which shows how they decided to handle their overcrowding situation. “Progressive” Wisconsin might take note of this solution.
Sincerely,
Frank Van den Bosch
posted by F. at 10:03 AM
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