Rep. Clancy Calls on Legislature to Shift Focus Immediately
MADISON, Wis. – Today, the Wisconsin Assembly met to consider a long list of bills, including six that would create new crimes or enhance existing penalties, locking up more people for more crimes for more years. The Assembly also considered and passed several bills providing resources to local law enforcement, including for potential surveillance tools (AB 278) and in-community residences commonly known as “cop houses” (AB 293).
Rep. Clancy opposed AB 26, AB 35, AB 53, AB 65, AB 121, AB 278 and AB 293.
Rep. Ryan Clancy (D-19) issued the following statement:
“Today, I only spoke against one of the many, terrible bills we’ve considered this session that deepen our mass incarceration crisis at the expense of the people of Wisconsin. In the midst of budget negotiations that repeatedly stall whenever Republicans get frustrated, and with overcrowded and inhumane jails and prisons across our state, it’s irresponsible for this legislature to consider bills that lock up more people for more time instead of actually fixing that problem.
Far too often, this legislature ignores the social costs of Wisconsin’s failed approach to crime and safety. And while there is no data to show that the legislation passed today will reduce crime, we have a great deal of data, over generations now, that shows the horrific effects of the wide scale incarceration that Wisconsin’s legislature enables with bills like these. We know that severing people from their communities does irreparable economic and social harm to communities, and to the families we rip apart in the process. And we know that people incarcerated for longer sentences have a harder time reintegrating into their communities and are more likely to be arrested and imprisoned again in the future.
The only thing that actually reduces crime in our communities is investing in our communities, but Speaker Robin Vos and other legislative Republicans won’t even give hearings to legislation that does that. I’m hopeful that will change soon, but until then, the vote on all of these false solutions on crime and safety is no.”
