The column below reflects the views of the author, and these opinions are neither endorsed nor supported by WisOpinion.com.
In the flurry of bills circulating at the State Capitol this month, one pattern stands out: Wisconsin Democrats have filed a stack of proposals aimed at making life more comfortable for criminals. Missing from the conversation are any comparable efforts to make life more bearable for victims.
Sen. LaTonya Johnson’s LRB-4056 and LRB-4057 would provide free menstrual and personal hygiene products in prisons and jails. Rep. Ryan Clancy’s LRB-4049 and LRB-4053 would guarantee inmates transparent windows and expanded in-person visitation. Other measures from Sen. Chris Larson, Rep. Darrin Madison, and Sen. Kelda Roys would guarantee bathing periods, outdoor time, and more recreation opportunities behind bars.
There’s nothing wrong with humane standards in correctional facilities. People in custody shouldn’t be stripped of basic dignity. But viewed together, these bills send an unmistakable signal about priorities. While lawmakers devote their energy to improving inmate comfort, they’ve left victims waiting for restitution checks, for trauma counseling, for fair sentencing, for the simple acknowledgment that their pain still matters.
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If lawmakers want to show they truly care about fairness, they should start by giving prosecutors and police the tools they need to do their jobs. That means increased funding for District Attorneys’ offices and law enforcement agencies so they can keep up with rising caseloads instead of watching serious crimes go unprosecuted. It means revisiting mandatory minimum sentences for repeat violent and drug offenders, which are the kinds of crimes that devastate neighborhoods but too often end in lenient deals. It means ending the revolving-door policy of signature bonds that let habitual offenders walk free only to victimize someone else. And it means holding judges accountable for light sentencing that puts violent criminals back into communities to reoffend. Justice isn’t served when accountability takes a back seat to comfort.
We can support decent conditions in our prisons and still remember who the justice system was built to protect. Victims shouldn’t have to wonder whether their government has forgotten them while it worries about whether inmates have a room with a view.
Until the Legislature gives equal attention to those who’ve already suffered at the hands of offenders, Wisconsin’s idea of justice will remain unbalanced.
– Knodl, R-Germantown, represent the 24th Assembly District.
