Institutional Clash

Comments on web sites often make me sad, but it’s good to see how complicated and often conflicting the experiences and perspectives of people are, like this exchange between 2 Wisconsin DOC employees from a pretty one-sided article about contraband in WI prisons.:

DOCemployee
Forumite
Joined: 02/15/2009
Total posts: 2

It is Taycheedah Correctional INSTITUTION, not CENTER. The State Journal needs to fact check. THIS IS YOUR JOB!

This is a poorly written, overly biased article. Being locked in a cage all day, for months or years does breed violence. And many of our inmates do sell drugs and weapons. But where is the mention of the black-market sale of athletic shoes for use in the gym? Or the manufacture of small toys to be sent home for a child’s birthday? Wisconsin’s inmates are people too and upon release they DO deserve the chance to prove themselves and rejoin society. ARTICLES like this simply perpetuate and foster more hate and discrimination for ex-cons. Not all of our prisoners are murders and rapists…some are children who have made mistakes or adults who want to change their ways. Let them return to society and restart their lives in peace, without making it more difficult for them by encouraging prejudice.

DOCBrother
Forumite
Joined: 02/15/2009
Total posts: 1

You know, DocEmployee, people like you are what’s wrong with the Department these days. I’ve been in this business for a long time now, I honestly didn’t think there was one thing in this article that was out of place or inaccurate. By your logic and remarks it appears that you are the type of officer, that when my two brothers in blue got their heads smashed in 2 months ago by an inmate with a hammer, you’d be quick to blame us for giving him the hammer! Or maybe it was an error on clinical services for allowing the inmate to have the job in the first place? If you are going to speak like that, do us all a favor and do so under your own name and keep the rest of your BROTHERS and SISTERS out of it.

madison, wi diy spaces

Justin, a boy that I met at PIX fest and when we played in Madison pointed me to this article about a diy warehouse space near where the freewheel bike project used to be.  The space is currently shut down as a result of publicity and related enforcement of building codes.  The tone of the article is frustrating and example of someone maybe not being totally ill-intentioned, but just not getting it.