Alphonso James went to prison at age 17 for a crime he didn’t commit. After 32 years, he was cleared by a DNA test and returned home to Milwaukee in February 2017. Last week, he stood before about 50 people crowded into a room at the Welford Sanders Historic Lofts & Enterprise Center, 2821 N. Vel R. Phillips Ave., and discussed his experience.
“I knew truth was on my side, but the things that we were enduring in prison were enough to suffocate a human being into nothing,” he said.
James, in a navy blue cardigan and steel-framed glasses, choked up as he described the depression he experienced in prison and how he was placed in solitary confinement for refusing medication. Early on in his sentence, James said he spent five years straight in solitary confinement. According to the United Nations, solitary confinement in excess of 15 days is considered torture.
While incarcerated, James taught himself how to read, earned a culinary degree and started programs to support his peers inside. He is now a cook at a local hotel.
James spoke at a listening session hosted by Ex-Incarcerated People Organizing (EXPO) and prompted by Angela Lang, executive director of Black Leaders Organizing for Community (BLOC), who was recently appointed to Gov. Tony Evers’ Public Safety and Criminal Justice Reform Policy Advisory Council. According to a statement from Evers, the council is tasked with assisting the governor’s administration in exploring reforms of the state’s criminal justice system. The purpose of the session was to provide an opportunity for people with direct experience in the criminal justice system to tell their stories.
Of the 30 representatives selected to serve on the council, only one person had been incarcerated, according to Peggy West, lead legislative organizer for EXPO.
“When you’re talking about reform and correcting things that are wrong, it’s important to have attorneys and people like that, but it’s more important to have people who actually have lived experiences,” West said.
Lang invited West to organize the listening session. “I just want to make sure that people’s individual stories don’t get lost,” Lang said.
In addition to James, about 15 other formerly incarcerated people shared stories, concerns and suggestions with Lang and Edgar Lin, a former public defender who is also on the governor’s advisory council.
Brian Jackson reported that prison staff did not follow up on complaints, which were often considered invalid due to rigid time constraints. He said he had a brain aneurysm while incarcerated that was neglected, and he saw a man being tased until his shirt caught on fire. However, he never saw a complaint successfully filed against a staff member.
Responding to a question from Lang, Jackson said he estimates that 85 percent of people in prison experience some level of abuse, including verbal abuse.
Aaron Hicks is required to wear a GPS monitoring device for the rest of his life. He said that the GPS ankle bracelet interferes with his daily life and instills a chronic sense of fear. Hicks noted that the device was not a part of his original sentence, but was mandated by his parole officer in light of a 2006 state statute. He reported he has to pay $240 a month for the device, indefinitely. West said that as of January 2018, Wisconsin was monitoring 1,258 people on GPS devices.
Carl Fields criticized crimeless revocation, which occurs when a formerly incarcerated person is brought back to detention for violating a rule of probation or parole — or simply being suspected of a violation. Fields said that when this happens, any stability the person has acquired after leaving prison, such as housing or employment, can be lost.
Alan Schultz said he struggled with substance abuse while incarcerated and that more supports are needed for people with drug dependencies and other mental health issues.
“We are locking up people because they suffer from a drug problem,” echoed Ouida Lock. She would like to see formerly incarcerated people hired to support individuals as they transition from prison back into the community. This concept of “peer support” was raised by several people throughout the evening. Multiple attendees also requested that the governor reinvigorate the pardons board. Gov. Scott Walker did not grant any pardons during his administration.
Lang asked people to raise their hand if they experienced difficulty finding housing or employment after leaving prison. Every hand in the room went up.
“I knew things were bad, but being able to put faces to the stories was even worse,” Lang said.
Evers and Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes were sworn into office on Jan. 7. Throughout their campaign, they touted their desire for criminal justice reform and called attention to the racial disparities in Wisconsin’s system.
According to data from the United States Department of Justice analyzed by the Sentencing Project, Wisconsin incarcerates African-American people at a rate of 10 times higher than their white counterparts.
Despite a national trend to decrease prison populations, at the end of 2017, Wisconsin was still incarcerating nearly as many people as it was in 2007, when the state prison population reached an all-time high, according to counts from the state Department of Corrections.
“It is so, so important that you be attentive to the voices of these men and these women that are in here, because these are the voices that are echoing the pain that the brothers and sisters who are behind bars are experiencing every day,” James said.
Justin Brown says
Wonderful team, you have so much public support.
Matanya says
Very powerful, moving and insightful article. We are now in the struggle of our lives with trying to get my brother released from jail. He has served almost 25 years, sentenced to 54 at the age of 22……for bank robbery. That’s excessive time… it shows that money is worth more than a person’s life. Ppl who take a life get less time. Even the judge that handed the sentence down was hesitant on the time but had no choice. His hands were tied by law. And the lawyer that represented him at the time admitted not representing him well and although he is retired now he is trying to help in anyway he can to get my brother’s case looked at again, or have time served applied, early release or whatever he may qualify for under this new bill. If you or anyone has any advice, legal or whatever we can use/try please contact me.
Jessica Faust says
I have no advice or help but wanted to say KEEP TELLING Your story. All of us.
Jessica Faust says
I am a white 42 year old female. What is happening in our prison system is disgusting as a whole-but the fact that a blind eye is being turned on the EPIDEMIC of blacks in our country living in prison makes me ashamed. I’m in the system myself-but it’s different for me-it’s not easy for me because the system is reduculous…but it’s EASIER for me. That’s wrong. Period.
This is OUR social problem. WE as a nation, as a city as a community HAVE to raise awareness.
I can’t tell you how happy I was to see you on the news today. I truly want to help. To advocate-whatever I can. I can’t vite yet but I will when I can. What can others do? What can I do to get involved.
I have a very dear friend who was imprisoned for 6 years and released around his 30th birthday.
He got out, got a good paying job and his own place.
His probation officer ‘suspected’ he drank-even though the three breathalyzers were ZERO. She gave him an ATR and said he’s Lucky to not be revocated. This IS what happened.
He’s requested a new PO and was denied twice. He lost his job, apartment and has been in MSDF since September. For her ‘suspicion’ of him drinking he’s been LOCKED UP SINCE JULY 19, 2018.
This is cruel and unusual. Please, I have many more stories and want to help.
Alan Schultz says
Jessica, I am Alan Schultz who was mentioned in this article. I am a community organizer with EXPO and I’m on the CLOSEmsdf Core Team trying to get the facility shutdown. If you have access to Facebook you can find me on there under the same name and we can talk further about how you can get more involved or about the level of involvement you’d like to have with us. You can also find more ways of contacting all of us by checking out the WISDOM for Justice website, ROC (Restoring Our Communities) Wisconsin campaign, CLOSEmsdf.org, EXPO FB page, WISDOM FB page, or even stopping by one of our next events that is listed on some of those sites. I’d share my e-mail here but doesn’t seem prudent if there are people trolling or in case that isn’t allowed and would flag this post. I hope to hear from you and please don’t hesitate to send a friend request my way if you are on Facebook. Thanks and take care.
Amy says
I am praying & hoping that Mr. Evers will get rid of Truth In Sentencing & bring back parole. Right now DOC is not correcting anything, they are just having inmates doing “idle time” no programs, denying ERP each & every time one goes to the review committee because they have too much left. The WI prisons are over populated. Even Tommy Thompson said that something needs to change, he was sorry for building prisons when he was Governor. I go see my fiancée regularly & it’s said the way inmates are treated. Has our society become some cruel that it has forgotten that inmates are human beings too??? I pray that something changes right away!!!