Doyle orders new panel on blacks in state prisons (honoring King)

[rodeodance]

Doyle orders new panel on blacks in state prisons
By David Callender
Gov. Jim Doyle today announced today that he will create a panel to study the high rates of incarceration among blacks in Wisconsin.


"Far too many of our citizens, particularly African-American males, are serving time in our prisons rather than learning in our schools or succeeding in the workplace," Doyle said in a draft of a speech he was set to deliver at today's Capitol celebration of the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday.

Doyle aides said he would provide details of the new commission, which had been sought by black lawmakers, when he releases his budget next month.

Wisconsin has the highest rate of African-American incarceration in the nation and is also among the highest in the nation for contacts between black youths and the criminal justice system, according to a report released last week.

Wisconsin also had the highest rate of Latino youth sent to adult prison at 50.8 per 100,000, far ahead of the national average of 7.4...

http://www.madison.com/tct/news/index.php?ntid=114965&ntpid=1

[rodeodance]

1. "is not just to remember his incredible words,

Doyle's announcement came during the annual Capitol celebration of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.'s birthday, which is the oldest such commemoration in the nation.

Doyle said the best way to celebrate King's life and legacy "is not just to remember his incredible words, but to emulate his progressive actions.

"It is not enough to simply state our support for the values we hold sacred in Wisconsin, we must fight for those values -- hard, honest work; a sense of community, our concern for others, and a commitment to educating future generations," he said.

[BayCityProgressive]

2. I wonder

if this will be like Granholm's study of the apartheid situation in Benton Harbor. The study was revised to the point of being a farce and no action was taken.