Justin Welch says he has completed every educational and programming opportunity available to him in maximum security. Now, he argues that being denied transfer to a medium-security prison is preventing him from continuing his rehabilitation.
I’m in prison for a murder that took place about 17 years ago.
How would you feel if I was your neighbor? Would you be worried because I’m a monster? Personally, I would be worried. But at the end of the day, why would the system let me out if I wasn’t fully rehabilitated?
If you had to pick between a non-rehabilitated killer or a rehabilitated killer, who would you pick to have as your neighbor? It’s a dumb question, because nobody in their right mind would want a non-rehabilitated killer living next to them. I feel this is very important to all you taxpayers.
Every American has the right to be safe, and one major way this is accomplished is by paying taxes to have prisons, and that those prisons have programming and education opportunities to help rehabilitate the convicted upon reentry into society.
95% of people in prison will get out, and I’m one of the 95%.
Prison offers a lot of programming and education opportunities in medium facilities in Wisconsin. (Education and programming are limited in maximum security facilities.) I’ve completed every program and education opportunity available in maximum facilities. I’ve gone well beyond the prison system seeking programming and education opportunities, and my record shows this.
All I want to do is continue on this positive path forward. But I’m at a crossroads now. The prison system is refusing to transfer me to a medium facility and stopping me from getting into college and programming that only medium facilities offer.
I Want to Continue Moving Forward
My conduct while in prison for the last three years has been exceptional, to say the least. At this point, it’s clear that the Wisconsin DOC is against my rehabilitation and will not let me continue on my path forward.
I don’t know how the American people feel about paying taxes for all the programming and education offered in prison, but I’m sure not a single American wants a person like myself to get out of prison without completing as much programming and education as possible.
The reason the recidivism rate is so high in Wisconsin is because the WI DOC is refusing programming and education to people like myself. I’ve done nothing in Wisconsin whatsoever to justify being in a max facility permanently.
It’s sad that I have to file complaints and write the Governor’s Office to get help so I can go to a medium facility, to continue on my positive path, further my education, and get more programming.
If I was an out-of-control person, I would understand the DOC’s justification for never letting me go to a medium facility, but that’s not the case. I’m not a perfect inmate, but I’m not a problematic inmate either. I’m just a man trying to right my wrongs and become a better person so that when I’m released I have the best opportunity possible.
I’ve seen others denied going to a medium facility also. Maybe this will help you understand how inmates are determined medium-eligible.
How Wisconsin Determines Security Status
The Wisconsin DOC goes off a point system. If your points meet the guidelines for medium, you get to go to medium. If my points were calculated today, my status would be minimum. So I’m well below what’s needed to go to a medium facility, but the Wisconsin DOC is unjustly going against their own policy by not adhering to the point system they’ve imposed.
When I asked the Security Director at Wisconsin Secure Program Facility (WSPF), “What do I have to do to have this unjust status removed?” he replied, “Continue with good conduct.”
I laughed when I saw his reply, considering my conduct since being in WSPF has been nothing but positive, and it couldn’t get much better than it’s been for the last three years. Maybe because I’m not one of their informants is why I’m being denied medium? There’s no justifiable reason why I’ve been denied medium status.
I understand why I’m being denied medium status. If you look at some of my stories on Waupun Correctional Institution, you will see why the Wisconsin DOC hates me with such a passion. Anybody who uses their First Amendment right is treated like me.
Little do the people in this facility know that this one story will be seen and read by tens of thousands of people, and taxpayers don’t like paying for things that are being misused or abused. So if you’re a taxpayer in the state of Wisconsin, you may want to ask your senator or representative why the Wisconsin DOC is not using the money given to them out of your taxes.
Prison Rehabilitation, Education, and Recidivism
You hear continuously about crime. Did you ever think they really don’t want to rehabilitate anybody? Prison is the biggest business in our country. Ask yourself why they would want that to end. They don’t!
If the system wanted crime to slow or stop, they wouldn’t stop people like me from going to a medium facility so I can get more much-needed programming and education. This issue is much bigger than just me.
Corruption and retaliation in the prison system is rampant. I’ve documented so many issues through the inmate complaint system (ICE).
At the end of the day, do you as a taxpayer want your money to be used for its intended purposes, or do you want the Wisconsin DOC to continue to release non-rehabilitated people?
Don’t get me wrong, not all people in Wisconsin DOC are denied programming or continued education. But it’s happening, and I’m one good example.
Taxpayers have the power to make changes. Do you care who is living next to you or your kids? I sure do! Make the Wisconsin DOC stop refusing people from continuing on a path of rehabilitation. Let me go to a medium facility so I can become a better person for my kids and grandkids and as your neighbor when I’m released. I’ve completed every possible program or education opportunity in a max facility. The next step is medium.
I hope somebody reading this will reach out to the Wisconsin DOC on my behalf or contact me personally with any ideas.
Ready for the Next Step
I’m more than ready to move forward in life. But this can’t be done in a max facility, especially not this facility. I’ve attempted to contact the Governor’s Office by email two times and letter with no reply. It’s clear the Wisconsin Governor’s Office doesn’t care who is being rehabilitated nor who your neighbor will be.
Like I said before, prison is a big business that employs thousands of people in Wisconsin, so at the end of the day, there’s no reason to try and slow or stop the high recidivism rate. That would put people out of jobs.
I’m a prime example of why programming is needed, and I agree that I need it. But as it stands, the Wisconsin DOC has no intention to send me to a medium facility!
The Wisconsin DOC is misusing statuses to unjustly keep people like me in a max facility. This has a ripple effect, which in turn affects society when I’m released, not fully rehabilitated.
I don’t know why the Wisconsin Governor’s Office won’t step in and help. Maybe some calls to the Governor’s Office will get things fixed. I’m sure it would help.
Justin P. Welch #579750
Editor’s Note: This essay reflects the author’s personal experiences, opinions, and allegations. Prison Writers has not independently verified all claims made about the Wisconsin Department of Corrections, Wisconsin Secure Program Facility, or the individuals mentioned. We publish first-person accounts to allow incarcerated writers to describe their experiences in their own words.
