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The Wisconsin Department of Corrections disclosed Friday that five inmates in state custody have died from COVID-19 after previously refusing to release the information, Emily Hamer of the Wisconsin State Journal reports.
Hamer, a former Wisconsin Watch intern, reports that DOC will now report inmate deaths as COVID-19-related “if the virus was an underlying cause of death or a significant condition that contributed to death.”
Criminal justice reform advocates have pushed Gov. Tony Evers for more transparency and to fulfill a campaign promise to cut the prison population, which they say could reduce the spread of COVID-19.
DOC had previously cited medical privacy laws in its efforts to keep inmate death figures secret — a rationale that open-records experts rejected. As of Friday, DOC reported 4,329 inmates have contracted COVID-19 since the pandemic began, with 953 staff reporting positive.
Wisconsin’s coronavirus surge continues to accelerate outside of prisons as well. The Department of Health Services reported 5,096 new statewide infections on Friday — the second highest daily count on record. DHS also reported 24 new deaths from infected residents, bringing the state’s toll to 1,972 during the pandemic.
Top Stories
Wisconsin DOC releases data on COVID-19-related inmate deaths for first time; 5 are dead — Wisconsin State Journal
Five days in Wisconsin: More than 20,000 positive coronavirus tests, nearly 200 deaths — Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
A Green Bay doctor carries a list of patients he’s lost to COVID-19. He wants to know when people will finally take it seriously. — Appleton Post-Crescent
One boy with COVID-19 likely led to 116 positive cases at a Wisconsin summer camp, CDC report shows — Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
October was Wisconsin’s worst month for COVID-19 yet — and its surge is one of the biggest ever in the U.S. — USA Today-Wisconsin
Milwaukee contact tracers face backlog of nearly 1,600 cases as state reports 4,870 new cases and 51 deaths — Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Badgers football COVID-19 outbreak up to 16 players, staff members — Wisconsin State Journal
As health officials raise alarm, Trump returns to Green Bay for campaign rally — Green Bay Press-Gazette
How virus politics divided a conservative town in Wisconsin’s north — The New York Times
What are we missing? And how are you coping? Help us provide critical information and accountability by filling out this form or emailing us at tips@wisconsinwatch.org.
Quotable
“THIS IS REAL. But this isn’t about numbers. It’s about people. People you know and care about. Your mom. Your dad. Your grandparents. Your husband. Your wife. Your kids. Your partner. Your friends. Your neighbors. Your co-workers.”
— Letter from southeast Wisconsin physicians, as reported by the Journal Times
“People need to limit their contact with other Wisconsinites — to the people that they live with …There aren’t ways around that. We’ve got to get together and do the work we need to do as a state to stop the spread. Whether it’s yesterday, last week, tomorrow, next Wednesday, that remains true.”
— Department of Health Services Secretary-designee Andrea Palm, speaking Friday at a media briefing
Food access trouble?
We know that when classes are virtual, many Wisconsin students and families lose access to food schools provide. And as the school year starts, some meal sites are closing. Share your experience with News414, Wisconsin Watch’s service journalism collaboration with Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service and Outlier Media. Click here for details.
You can also view a list of Milwaukee-area food distribution sites for students here.
Data to note
WisContext offers these visualizations of Wisconsin’s startling trends in COVID-19 infections and deaths.
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People helping others and showing resilience during this time of anxiety. Send suggestions by tagging us on social media — @wisconsinwatch — or emailing us: tips@wisconsinwatch.org.
Election 2020: Pandemic forces groups to adapt get-out-the-vote efforts in Milwaukee neighborhoods — Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
The nonprofit Wisconsin Center for Investigative Journalism (wisconsinwatch.org) collaborates with Wisconsin Public Radio, PBS Wisconsin, other news media and the UW-Madison School of Journalism and Mass Communication. All works created, published, posted or disseminated by the Center do not necessarily reflect the views or opinions of UW-Madison or any of its affiliates.
