WISCONSIN

Wisconsin witnessed unprecedented prison population growth over the past 25 years. But there are signs that the state's elected leaders are looking for ways to reign in prison population growth and spiraling correctional costs. Justice Strategies has worked with policymakers and advocates seeking to expand treatment alternatives to incarceration since 2004.

A broad-based movement is building to overhaul Wisconsin's sentencing practices. The Treatment Instead of Prison (TIP) campaign — a dynamic statewide coalition of 24 organizations — has launched a coordinated effort to call attention to the many benefits of using substance abuse treatment as an alternative to incarceration for people charged with low-level, nonviolent offenses.

Many of Wisconsin's leading policymakers indicate they are ready to consider new approaches.