MADISON, Wis. — In 2023, Megan Kolb’s father Dean Hoffman took his own life while serving time at the Waupun prison.
On Thursday, Kolb and hundreds of Wisconsinites marched to the Capitol calling for change to Wisconsin’s prison system.
“I am turning my grief into action and I stand here not only for my father but for every family still waiting for justice,” said Kolb while speaking to hundreds of protesters.
Kolb’s speech was part of a much larger gathering for Madison Action Day, an event hosted by WISDOM.
While everyone in attendance was there protesting different issues, many people in attendance were protesting the current state of the prisons.
“There is not enough mental health care, there is not enough access to doctors when people need it, so that is first and foremost and just the conditions themselves and the programming for individuals,” said Kolb.
On Wednesday, the Department of Corrections (DOC) held its first in a series of “Friends and Family Forums” at the Fox Lake Correctional Institution with over 40 friends and family members of prison inmates.
During the forum, attendees were broken into small groups to discuss topics such as strengthening families, treatment and health care, complaint systems and reentry. DOC staff were present to listen to the concerns.
Amy Rolack’s husband is serving 20 years in Fox Lake Correctional Institution. She took off work to attend the forum on Thursday to voice her concerns about current prison conditions.
“Overcrowded, truth in sentencing won’t move you from a max to a medium, a medium to a minimum,” said Rolack.
Rolack said many other family members in attendance expressed those same concerns about current conditions in Wisconsin’s prisons.
“It is just sad these people go in and they committed crimes, they did not get life sentences and some of them never come back out,” said Rolack. “They are passing away because no one is believing that there is something wrong with them,” said Rolack.
Since 2023, there have been seven deaths at the Waupun prison.
Rolack worries every day that she will get a call that her husband has passed away.
She said she feels that the forums being held by the DOC are a step in the right direction, but she has little confidence that any notable change will happen.
“I am hopeful, but I am also not holding my breath,” said Rolack. “I have been doing this for eight years and nothing has changed, if anything for me and for [my husband], he would tell you, it has gotten worse.”
Kolb also believes that the forums are a step in the right direction. She said now is not the time for talking; it is a time for action.
“I want to believe that it is in good faith and in the right direction, I just want some type of commitment and confirmation that it is going to go through,” said Kolb. “That we are actually going to enact these changes and that this is only the beginning of the changes.”
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