In 1971, President Richard Nixon started the War on Drugs, which has become a war on people with mass incarcerations of low-level users. Megan was one of the 80% who was incarcerated as a consequence of her brain disease of SUD. I have become an advocate for treatment for those who are facing drug charges and long sentences, along with revocations for relapsing.

 

Approximately 5,000 Wisconsinites a year are revoked from probation or extended supervision as a result of rule violations. One of the biggest rule violations is having a reoccurrence. If someone is revoked while on extended supervision for a rule violation, they can be sent back to prison at a cost of around $40K that is paid by taxpayers. If this occurs, it's typically for 18 months. Once released the extended supervision term starts over--that isn't Truth in Sentencing.

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I belong to ESTHER-Fox Valley, as well as the ACLU. We are working to eliminate crimeless revocations. Many states have already done this. Wisconsin hasn't had prison reform in the past 40 years. The time is NOW!

 

Megan was sentenced to wait 9 months for inpatient treatment and instead allowed GPS monitoring/Huber privileges that exposed her to her substance using friends which is a trigger for reoccurrence My insurance company would have paid for the inpatient treatment, instead the Court indicated the time for treatment was when she was a teen. Four months into Megan’s sentence of 4 years probation and 36-month stayed prison sentence, she had a reoccurrence, overdosed and died. Megan's death was preventable. Wisconsin is one of five states that does NOT provide immunity protections to people on supervision with the Dept of Corrections.

 

Beware there is a law WI State Stat 961.475 that allows for treatment vs incarceration after a felony drug conviction. Many DAs, attorneys and judges are unaware of the law.

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If you need support navigating the criminal justice system, contact me at bev@megankelleyfoundation.org.