County officials announced a plan Monday to reduce racial disparity in Dane County's criminal justice system through the creation of a specialized task force.
Dane County Executive Kathleen Falk unveiled the Dane County Task Force on Racial Disparities in the Criminal Justice System which aims to reduce racial disparity in both the juvenile and criminal justice system by analyzing government reports on the problem. The task force will then give recommendations to the Dane County Board of Supervisors, the County Executive and the Equal Opportunity Commission.
The Dane County Equal Opportunity Commission welcomes the opportunity to be involved in this important issue of racial disparities in our criminal justice system and its effect on the community,"" commission chair Yolanda Woodward said in a statement.
The multi-cultural task force contains representatives from all sides of the Dane County criminal justice system including police, service agencies, community advocates and the court system.
""It is our hope that compiling diverse members of the community who are involved in this sensitive issue, we can finally put together a plan of action that will not only protect the community impacted by the criminal justice system, but also develop policies that reduces the disparities,"" Woodward said.
The Task Force on Racial Disparities started at a national level, moving to the state and now county level to deal with the issue more closely. Wisconsin and Dane County are particularly disparate, according to Dane County District Attorney Brian Blanchard.
""You see it almost everyday. You see a huge over representation of people of color in our justice system. There's no question that there's a big disparity. The harder question becomes why and what should we do about it,"" Blanchard said.
Gaps in education, employment and income contribute to racial disparity in the justice system and result in more criminal cases and fewer treatment options and defense lawyers, according to Blanchard.
He said families struggling with these burdens have a harder time getting lawyers, finding lawful employment and avoiding criminal activity. Blanchard said the task force's first mission is to make citizens aware of these issues within the county.
""It's all related,"" he said.
