The Cannabis Question
How a little pot can lead to big consequences for tens of thousands of Wisconsin residents
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The hundreds of collateral consequences of low-level marijuana convictions include barriers to jobs, housing and financial aid.
The Cannabis Question
‘I’m still discriminated against’: Wisconsin lawmakers propose easing burdens on marijuana offenders
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Proposals could help those with past arrests or convictions seek jobs and other opportunities; experts say the existing expungement law is hard to navigate.
Cruel and Unusual?
Pay-to-stay, other fees, can put jail inmates hundreds or thousands in debt
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In some Wisconsin counties, inmates pay an average of $390 a month in pay-to-stay fees; advocates say such fees can criminalize poverty.
Cruel and Unusual?
By the numbers: Jail incarceration fees in Wisconsin
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A Wisconsin Watch survey found jails across the state differ greatly in the fees they charge inmates; many do not list the information on their websites.
Health & Welfare
Fainting and freezing in the fields: Alleged labor trafficking victim tells of mistreatment in Wisconsin and Georgia
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‘Roberto’ says he was taken from Georgia, where he worked legally but was exploited, to Wisconsin, where he worked illegally — and in the shadows.
Immigration
Behind the story: Why we delayed publication of our labor trafficking report
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While journalists’ first inclination is to bring you the news as soon as we learn it, we decided to delay release of the story and to conceal Roberto’s identity to minimize harm.
The Cannabis Question
Advice to immigrants: ‘Do not mess with marijuana’ even where it is legal
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Immigrants face a danger of deportation if they possess or invest in marijuana, even in states where it is legal.
The Cannabis Question
Blacks arrested for pot possession at four times the rate of whites in Wisconsin
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Gov. Tony Evers’ decriminalization proposal focuses on decreasing racial disparities in arrests; experts point to policing practices as the main issue.
Cruel and Unusual?
Hard road ahead for Gov. Tony Evers’ promise to slash Wisconsin prison population
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The Democrat’s goal to reduce incarceration by 50 percent faces numerous hurdles; his own 2019-21 budget proposal calls for increasing prison beds.
Cruel and Unusual?
Wisconsin’s high supervision rate can cause — rather than prevent — longer incarceration, studies show
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Supervision time in Wisconsin is third-longest in the U.S., meaning more chances for revocations and increased prison populations.
Immigration
Video — Behind the story: For immigrants without lawyers, justice is hard to find
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Investigative reporter Natalie Yahr learned that having a lawyer greatly increases the chances of immigrants being able to stay in the U.S, once they have been put into deportation proceedings. Yahr talks about the role that lawyers play in immigration cases, and how she reported this story.
Immigration
Stuck in detention: For immigrants without lawyers, justice is hard to find
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Having a lawyer is an important factor in getting released. A Dane County, Wis., program helps immigrants get out of jail and challenge efforts to deport them.