Incarceration

Mass incarceration is a public health issue and a socio-structural determinant of health that stems from various social, economic, and political factors. For example, poverty, inadequate access to safe and affordable housing, under-funded/resourced schools and neighborhoods, chronic stress, discrimination, and structural oppression greatly increase one's likelihood of becoming incarcerated or involved in the criminal legal system.

The Wood County Jail Workgroup has been meeting since May 2019 and provides a platform for collaboration and shared decision-making between local agencies and community organizations that work within the local criminal legal system and with justice-involved populations. For more information about the Wood County Jail Workgroup, contact Kayleigh Mengel at 715-421-8926 or Kayleigh.Mengel@woodcountywi.gov.

Working Goals of the Wood County Jail Work Group:

1. Reduce incarceration, recidivism, and revocation rates

2. Improve access to mental health and substance use disorder treatment services for justice-involved populations

3. Eliminate unfair burdens incarceration imposes on marginalized groups

Wood County Criminal Justice System Potential Solutions

Wood County Criminal Justice System Challenges

Data sets specific to Wisconsin:

• Wisconsin Department of Corrections - Wisconsin Prison Point-in-Time Populations, 2000-2016

• Wisconsin Department of Corrections - Division of Community Corrections at a Glance

• Prison Policy Initiative - Wisconsin Profile

Other resources specific to Wisconsin:

• National Association of County and City Health Officials (NAACHO) - Health Equity: Mass Incarceration and Structural Racism

• State Bar of Wisconsin- Wisconsin's Mass & Disparate Incarceration

• Vera Institute of Justice- Incarceration Trends in Wisconsin

• Columbia University Justice Lab - The Wisconsin Community Corrections Story

• Human Impact Partners- Excessive Revocations in Wisconsin