Eau Claire (WQOW) - A local organization is part of an effort to get the state to rethink how it handles crime.
JONAH, a local faith-based organization, is part of a statewide effort to reduce the number of inmates in Wisconsin by 2015. The goal is to get the number down to 11,000 or roughly half the number of inmates currently in jail. The group says there are more effective ways to prevent crime and keep costs down for taxpayers rather than putting people behind bars.
"If we were to reduce our state prison population by 11,000 it would just put us in line with our neighboring state, Minnesota and a lot of other states," says John Stedman, a member of JONAH. "Yes it's lofty, but it's not unreasonable nor is it unrealistic."
Last year, the state spent more than one billion dollars on corrections. The 11x15 campaign hopes to raise awareness about alternatives to incarceration and get a dialogue going with lawmakers.
"A report released in December about the Wisconsin treatments and diversions in place right now suggested that for ever dollar invested in treatment alternatives and diversions $1.93 was saved," says Stedman. "That's pretty significant, a two to one savings. So if instead of incarcerating somebody at $30,000 a year or more, we diverted them to an alternative program, there would be effectively $15,000 saved. What if the county could capture some of that?"
On Tuesday, JONAH held an event to kickoff the event at the Chippewa Valley correctional facility in Chippewa Falls.
