Jail Library Group, University of Wisconsin-Madison

04/13/2021

Dane County Jail only began vaccinating inmates April 5, facilities are unsafe in COVID-19 pandemic

04/06/2021

Great news!
https://www.facebook.com/89174607059/posts/10158392713617060/?d=n

The wait is over for more than 500 inmates at the Dane County Jail who have been waiting for the COVID-19 vaccine.

01/21/2021

A new Black-owned book store has opened in Stoughton, Wisconsin! The Itty Bitty Bookshop has a specially curated in-store collection of books that are written by and about people of color. You can make an appointment to shop safely in person or order from their online store. They also have an adorable gift section to check out!

We will be adding the Itty Bitty Bookshop to our list of recommended vendors from whom to buy books for the Jail Library Group in order to continue our commitment to supporting Black-owned bookstores.

If you would like to make a donation to the Jail Library Group, our website is linked in the comments.

Itty Bitty Bookstore

12/01/2020

This Giving Tuesday, consider a donation to the Jail Library Group. Thank you to everyone who has worked to keep our organization going during COVID so we can continue to provide library materials to those incarcerated in Dane County!

Please visit our website to see how you can support us!

https://jlg-wisc.weebly.com

11/24/2020

Unfortunately COVID continues to be an ongoing problem in carceral facilities across the US, including in our own community. We hope for the safety of our patrons in the Dane County Jail and for the full recovery of those who are currently sick.

MADISON, Wis.–Several inmates housed in the city county building of the Dane County Jail are frustrated with what they see as insufficient testing and poor access to hygiene and cleaning supplies. After active cases stayed low at the jail in the past few months, incoming inmates testing positive r...

11/19/2020

As COVID continues to be a problem inside the jails and in the community at large, our volunteers are still not visiting the jails to do library work. We have, however still been collecting donations, processing materials, and making deliveries of books to the jails to provide our patrons in the jails with new reading materials.

Sixteen inmates at the Dane County Jail are currently positive with COVID-19, according to the latest data from the facility.

10/26/2020

A great article about efforts to help people in Wisconsin jails to exercise their right to vote. 🇺🇸

A number of groups in Wisconsin are working to make sure ensure people across the state retain voting access in jail despite hurdles

10/26/2020

“As the Black Lives Matter movement peaked in the U.S. this summer, it brought more dialogue to countless elected officials about disproportionate incarceration rates for Black people, Indigenous people and people of color. The Dane County Board of Supervisors proved no exception, and several protests in Madison demanded less funding toward the jail project and more to community services.”

Jail conditions are "inhumane," "absolutely unacceptable," county officials say

10/07/2020

COVID is still a significant issue in Wisconsin’s prisons and jails. Visitors, including our JLG volunteers, are still not allowed in the Dane County Jails for public health reasons. We are, however, still doing our best to keep collecting books and delivering them to the jails!

At least two Wisconsin prisoners have died after contracting COVID-19, the first confirmed coronavirus-related deaths in the state's prisons.

09/24/2020

Hi JLG! Our first meeting of the semester is tonight, we hope to see you there! Email [email protected] if you need the link to the meeting.

We will be discussing the following topics at our meeting:
- Officer introductions
- What is the JLG? What do we do?
- Moving forward/Pre-Post JLG COVID-19 Policies+
- Opportunities for volunteer work
- CDI Change Accelerator Updates

09/17/2020

Hello JLG! Our first meeting of the semester will be held on Thursday, September 24th from 5:45-6:45 pm via zoom. Please reach out to [email protected] for a link to join the meeting.

On the agenda for the meeting is book distribution during COVID, ongoing projects, and ways for new members to get involved from a safe distance!

Our services may be different because of the pandemic, but there are still ways for you to be involved in getting reading materials to people incarcerated in Dane County!