DE PERE, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) – Today is the final day for retiring secretary of Wisconsin’s Department of Corrections, Kevin Carr.
Thursday night, area stakeholders discussed what they’d like to see next as they continue to demand for nearly year-long restrictions to end at the prisons in Green Bay and Waupun.
Since June, inmates at Green Bay Correctional Institution say they’ve been dealing with a lack of showers, outdoor recreation, and medical and educational services.
At a community forum at St. Norbert College to keep awareness of the issue, inmate advocates say the conditions continue.
“He’s been there over a year and a half now and he says he hasn’t had any fresh air since that time,” said Dant’e Cottingham, of Ex-Incarcerated People Organizing of Wisconsin, about a GBCI inmate he spoke with earlier in the day.
“They put out some press releases and said they made some modified movement changes and essentially what I’m hearing from the guys in there is that is not actually happening,” said Sara Williams, the community organizer of JOSHUA of Green Bay.
Last month, the Department of Corrections reported the only restriction still in place at GBCI relates to leisure time.
Those gathered at the forum hope Carr’s retirement provides opportunity for change and improvements.
“I don’t think that secretary did very much for the state of Wisconsin,” said State Rep. David Steffen, R-Howard. “If you look back, I don’t think our corrections system is better than it was five years ago when he came in.”
Evers points out the current vacancy rate of 21.3% for correctional officers should soon drop lower than what it was when Carr started.
Evers has said he didn’t ask Carr to resign.
“I would like someone who has some creativity and willing to work hard, work across the aisle with different types of people with different perspectives,” said Steffen.
Carr’s background was law enforcement with 40 years of experience.
Cottingham, a former inmate turned advocate, hopes the next secretary has social work experience and reforms the complaint system.
“The people that are investigating these complaints are the same people that are inside the prisons every day that works with everybody there, so everybody knowns it’s a joke.”
Evers has said he will be naming a replacement in the next couple of weeks.
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