Wisconsin: Prisons & Politics

thumbnail of Wisconsin: Prisons & Politics
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Program
Wisconsin: Prisons & Politics
Producing Organization
Wisconsin Public Television
Contributing Organization
The Walter J. Brown Media Archives & Peabody Awards Collection at the University of Georgia (Athens, Georgia)
PBS Wisconsin (Madison, Wisconsin)
AAPB ID
cpb-aacip-29-010p2r97
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Description
Program Description
"Wisconsin has one of the fastest growing prison populations in the country. Wisconsin prisons were built to hold 11,000 inmates. There are more than 19,000 prisoners today. Five new prisons are being built, adding 1,800 beds. But it still won't be enough new beds to handle the present population. Wisconsin leads the nation in exporting prisoners to facilities out of state. There is simply no place to put them in Wisconsin. And the stress on the system will continue. The Wisconsin legislature has adopted new 'Truth In Sentencing' legislation, which takes effect on December 31, 1999. Under 'Truth In Sentencing' prisoners must serve their full prison term and parole is eliminated. Wisconsin Public Television produced a documentary that explores the reasons behind the increased prison population and how the state plans to deal with the problem. Wisconsin: Prisons and Politics surveys how the prison system reached this point and what those with a stake in the criminal justice system think the future may hold. The hour-long program also goes behind bars at prisons like Waupun Correctional Institution and Taycheedah Correctional Institution to see how prisoners live, how guards deal with their stressful jobs and how wardens view the process. This is an important public policy issue in terms of state spending and allocation of resources within state government. It is a question of policy versus resources. A state can either change its sentencing policies in a way that fits its resources, or expand its resources to fit the policy. Wisconsin: Prison & Politics serves as an invaluable primer for state citizens and the kind of program that makes Wisconsin Public Television a service that explores issues that matter to the people of Wisconsin. The outpouring of public opinion is evidenced by the number of viewer phone calls and e-mail messages the station received after the broadcast. Copies of those viewer messages are attached. Wisconsin Public Television is committed to airing insightful, well-reported documentaries about issues of importance to the state."--1999 Peabody Awards entry form.
Broadcast Date
1999-11-10
Created Date
1999
Asset type
Program
Rights
Content provided from the media collection of Wisconsin Public Broadcasting, a service of the Board of Regents of the University of Wisconsin System and the Wisconsin Educational Communications Board. All rights reserved by the particular owner of content provided. For more information, please contact 1-800-422-9707
Media type
Moving Image
Duration
01:03:23.433
Credits
Producing Organization: Wisconsin Public Television
AAPB Contributor Holdings
The Walter J. Brown Media Archives & Peabody Awards Collection at the University of Georgia
Identifier: cpb-aacip-e7ffd78f9d3 (Filename)
Format: Betacam: SP
Duration: 0:58:06
Wisconsin Public Television (WHA-TV)
Identifier: cpb-aacip-909d39ba712 (Filename)
Format: 1 inch videotape
Generation: Master
Duration: 00:58:06
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Citations
Chicago: “Wisconsin: Prisons & Politics,” 1999-11-10, The Walter J. Brown Media Archives & Peabody Awards Collection at the University of Georgia, PBS Wisconsin, American Archive of Public Broadcasting (GBH and the Library of Congress), Boston, MA and Washington, DC, accessed April 18, 2024, http://americanarchive.org/catalog/cpb-aacip-29-010p2r97.
MLA: “Wisconsin: Prisons & Politics.” 1999-11-10. The Walter J. Brown Media Archives & Peabody Awards Collection at the University of Georgia, PBS Wisconsin, American Archive of Public Broadcasting (GBH and the Library of Congress), Boston, MA and Washington, DC. Web. April 18, 2024. <http://americanarchive.org/catalog/cpb-aacip-29-010p2r97>.
APA: Wisconsin: Prisons & Politics. Boston, MA: The Walter J. Brown Media Archives & Peabody Awards Collection at the University of Georgia, PBS Wisconsin, American Archive of Public Broadcasting (GBH and the Library of Congress), Boston, MA and Washington, DC. Retrieved from http://americanarchive.org/catalog/cpb-aacip-29-010p2r97