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Bag'm, Tag'm and Bury'm; Wisconsin Prisoners Dying for Health Care
[The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (www.jsonline.com) published an investigative series titled: "Wisconsin's Death Penalty," by Mary Zahn and Jessica McBride, October 22-24, 2000. Wisconsin doesn't have capital punishment, but the Journal Sentinel revealed the routine "execution" of state prisoners by a Department of Corrections health care system, which seemingly places little value on prisoners' lives. The series sparked public outrage and led to immediate and substantive prison health care reforms. Portions of the following article are excerpted by permission from "Wisconsin's Death Penalty"]
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More from this issue:
- Bag'm, Tag'm and Bury'm; Wisconsin Prisoners Dying for Health Care, by Dan Pens
- WA Law Libraries Threatened; DOC Proposes Budget Cuts
- Food Strike Puts Washington DOC on Spin Control, by Dan Pens
- From the Editor, by Paul Wright
- Fraud Charged by Washington DOC Whistleblower, by Dan Pens
- $330,000 Verdict in MI Beating
- $4,500 Verdict in NY Hernia Suit
- WA DOC Whistleblowers Speak Out: Is Anyone Listening?, by Paul Wright
- CA Medical Lab Faked Prison Tests, by Marvin Mentor
- AZ Prisoners Can't Access Internet, But the Net Accesses Them
- $5,500 Awarded in NY Unlawful Imprisonment Suit
- $160,000 Verdict in NY Diabetic Cyst Suit
- $115,000 Settlement Where Guards Fed NY Prisoner Ground Glass
- The Prison Payoff: The Role of Politics and Private Prisons in the Incarceration Boom
- MO Prisoner Awarded $130,000 in Retaliation and Haircut Claims
- Ohio Abandons Private Food Service Experiment
- Tide Turns Against Prison Privatization
- SC Jail Escape Kills One
- IL Prison Phone Ruling Published
- OH S.Ct. Strikes Down Bad Time Law
- News in Brief
- Work Stoppage at Idaho CCA Prison
- No Qualified Immunity for Alabama Blanket Strip-Search Policy
- Yeskey Dismissed on Remand
- Mentally Ill Prisoners in the New Jersey Prison System, by Julia Lutsky
- Louisiana Abandons Private Juvenile Prisons
- $7,500 Paid to Settle Delay of Legal Property Suit
- Louisiana Abandons Private Juvenile Prisons, by John E Dannenberg
- A.I. Reports on US Compliance with UN Convention Against Torture, by Julia Lutsky
- $8,000 Awarded in NY Chair Collapse
- Ninth Circuit Requires Evidentiary Review Before Terminating Old Consent Decree Under PLRA
- $7,500 Award in NY Window Injury
- $1.75 Million Verdict in Juvenile Death Suit
- $30,000 Awarded to NY Prisoner Slashed in Attack
- BOP Prisoners' Convictions for Destroying Military Factory Upheld
- $49,999 Settlement in CA Sex Extortion Suit
- Conditions Claims Viable in WA PRP
- Failure to Exhaust Requires Hearing Before Dismissal
- Leave to Amend Complaint Improperly Denied
- $158,500 Awarded in NY Slip and Fall
- Summary Judgment Reversed on Diabetes Claim
- Book Review: Doing Time: 25 Years of Prison Writing, by Mumia Abu-Jamal
More from Dan Pens:
- Federal Religious Freedom Law Passed, April 15, 2001
- South Carolina Prison Chief Fired as Scandal Widens, April 15, 2001
- Bag'm, Tag'm and Bury'm; Wisconsin Prisoners Dying for Health Care, Feb. 15, 2001
- Food Strike Puts Washington DOC on Spin Control, Feb. 15, 2001
- Fraud Charged by Washington DOC Whistleblower, Feb. 15, 2001
- CMS Fined Nearly $1 Million in Virginia, Dec. 15, 2000
- Death as a Salesman: Benneton Ad Campaign Comes to Death Row, Dec. 15, 2000
- Illinois Supermax Hunger Strike, Dec. 15, 2000
- Whistle-blowing Doctor Shakes Up Nebraska DOC, Nov. 15, 2000
- Corcoran Show Trial Ends with Acquittals, Nov. 15, 2000
More from these topics:
- Barbaric and Deadly Conditions Continue to Plague Los Angeles County Jails, Feb. 1, 2026. Systemic Medical Neglect, Totality of Conditions, Overcrowding, Failure to Treat (Mental Illness), Deliberate Indifference.
- D.C. Federal Court Holds Blocking Prison Reform Advocate’s Access to Federal Prisoners May Violate First Amendment and Due Process, Feb. 1, 2026. Threats by Staff, DOC/BOP misconduct, First Amendment, rights, Fifth Amendment, Access to Computers.
- The St. Louis Jails Are Running Out of Guards, Feb. 1, 2026. Systemic Medical Neglect, Failure to Protect (General), Staffing, Hygiene Supplies, Suicides.
- Killings Inside Mississippi’s Prisons Continue Unabated But Report Prompts DOC to Reopen Investigations, Feb. 1, 2026. DOC/BOP misconduct, Prison/Jail Murders, Failure to Protect (General), Staffing, DOJ CRIPA Actions.
- Los Angeles County Restricts Opioid Treatment, Feb. 1, 2026. Medication, Systemic Medical Neglect, Failure to Treat, Drug Overdose, Drug Treatment/Rehab.
- Alaska Deaths in Custody Tie Record High, Feb. 1, 2026. DOC/BOP misconduct, Systemic Medical Neglect, Medical Neglect/Malpractice, Deliberate Indifference, Compassionate Release.
- $450,000 Paid for Michigan Jail Detainee’s Fentanyl Death, Incarcerated Husband Prevails in Claim for Part of Payout, Feb. 1, 2026. Drug Overdose, Seizure of Prisoner Funds, Medical Neglect/Malpractice, Deliberate Indifference.
- Report: Incarcerated Population in Rural Jails and Prisons At Risk of Losing Hospital Access, Feb. 1, 2026. Systemic Medical Neglect, Private Contractors, Transportation, Rural Prisons, Inadequate Health Care Facilities.
- Eleventh Circuit Holds Estate Cannot Sue Jailers Who Followed Medical Personnel Advice That Led to Detainee’s Death, Feb. 1, 2026. Drug/Alcohol Withdrawal, Private Contractors, Failure to Treat, Medical Neglect/Malpractice, Deliberate Indifference.
- Competency Crisis in Missouri’s Jails, Feb. 1, 2026. Jail Specific, Failure to Treat (Mental Illness), Pretrial Detention and Detainees, Competency, Competency Hearing.

