Build the People, not the Jail!

Derail the Dane County Jail is an ongoing effort by community activists and supporting organizations to oppose the construction of a new $255 million jail project in Dane County. Amid the deepening crises of houselessness, institutional racism, addiction, and poverty, our county leaders have chosen to prioritize building a new, dehumanizing jail. We have come together as a community to demand the immediate termination of the jail consolidation project, and the implementation of humane and compassionate approaches to addressing harm, violence, and insecurity.

Facts about the Jail

• The jail disproportionately targets people of color. Over half of the people incarcerated in the dane county jail are black, compared to just 6% of the dane county population.
• Proponents of the new jail say the current jail is unsafe - but any jail is unsafe. In December, jail guards broke an incarcerated man's hip in an altercation, then waited over 15 hours to provide him with any medical attention. New facilities can't fix a system this deeply broken.
• More humane alternatives are possible. In August of 2021, Madison launched the Community Alternative Response for Emergency Services (CARES). This pilot program creates two teams of trained mental professionals to address mental health crises without the involvement of law enforcement.