Over 23,000 people are incarcerated in Wisconsin’s prisons, a record number reports Wisconsin Public Radio. For those who are in jail or prison, accessing necessary mental health services is too often out of reach. Three in five people do not receive the mental health treatment they need while they are in state and federal prisons, according to NAMI. To address the mental illness and the justice system, on today’s show, host Dana Pellebon speaks with Linda Ketcham.

Ketcham works at JustDane to support people who are newly released from jail and prison. JustDane offers peer support, traditional case management, employment and skills training, eviction prevention, and more. They also mentor kids whose parents are impacted by incarceration. No matter a person’s conviction, they still deserve the opportunity to heal and grow, says Ketcham. She adds that she has come to see that the criminal justice system isn’t broken, but operating exactly as it was intended.

They discuss the public discourse following the police killing of Corey Ruiz, namely how little empathy some people have toward people with histories of incarceration, especially knowing how difficult it is to come out of prison after years of incarceration;

If you are struggling, you can contact the 988 crisis line, 211 line run by the United Way of Dane County, or reach out to the Dane County Behavioral Resource Center.

Linda Ketcham is the Executive Director at JustDane. She is in recovery and has been working in human services for over 40 years. Linda has a Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in criminal justice and was a certified addiction counselor for 15 years in Illinois before moving to Wisconsin.

Featured image of a door with light shining behind it via Anton Winaryo.

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