According to an updated report from the Sentencing Project, Wisconsin leads the nation in Black imprisonment rates—one of every 36 Black Wisconsinites is in prison.

It’s a sobering statistic. How did we get here? And what will it take to move forward?

Today on the show, Tuesday host Ali Muldrow takes a hard look at these questions and talks about the racial disparities of the U.S. carceral system with a roundtable of guests working to address the harms of incarceration.

First, Christopher Lau shares the work he is doing as director of the Wisconsin Innocence Project.

Then, we hear from Jerome Dillard and Ramiah Whiteside from EXPO (Ex-Incarcerated People Organizing) and Linda Ketcham from JustDane about local efforts to support people who are returning and transitioning back into the community after serving time.

Tomorrow, on Wednesday, December 1, EXPO is attending a public hearing at 10:00 AM at the Wisconsin State Capitol building, room 417 North, to oppose Assembly Bill 627, which allows new grounds to automatically terminate parental rights due to incarceration.

Cover photo by Markus Spiske on Unsplash

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