Dane County has been selected as one of 20 sites in the nation to be awarded a grant—along with technical and advisory assistance—to help reform the criminal justice system, county officials announced Wednesday.
Providing $50,000 to the county, the grant will support local and surrounding communities on improving law enforcement systems.
It will go toward expanding throughout Dane County a Community Restorative Court program started on the south side of Madison in 2015. The program aides young adults, ages 17 to 25, in dealing with issues such as accountability and restitution.
The grant is funded by a partnership with the MacArthur Foundation, a company that created a $100 million challenge to reduce racial disparities in the criminal justice system.
County Board Supervisor Shelia Stubbs, District 23, praised the new opportunity for the community and those who helped make it happen.
“Racial disparities and reducement is a priority for this county board, so I certainly want to thank all of my colleagues who have assisted,” Stubbs said. “This innovation grant would allow the county to expand the critical restorative justice initiatives throughout Dane County, and it gives us a greater opportunity to access national experts.”
The initiative is supported by Madison Police Department Chief Mike Koval, as well as Jonathan Scharrer, a clinical instructor at UW-Madison Law School.
“When we look at what we are doing here in Dane County where we have a truly collaborative, multidisciplinary approach towards this issue,” Sharrer said. “We see a really positive change and a positive effort that is being performed by all entities from all parts of the justice system, and it’s really making us, in a way, a national leader.”
