Groups praise demise of $350 million for prison

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — The Legislature’s failure to pass a bill that approved borrowing $350 million to pay for a new prison is winning praise from groups that opposed the spending.

The Assembly passed the bill but the Senate did not concur on Tuesday before adjourning for the year.

In addition to approving borrowing for a new prison, the proposal would have allocated nearly $4 million to hire about 54 new prosecutors throughout the state. It also would have made it easier to revoke parole for anyone charged with a felony or violent misdemeanor.

The state is studying the need for a new prison and supporters of the bill said it made sense to approve the borrowing now.

But the American Civil Liberties Union of Wisconsin and WISDOM, a group that advocates for prison reform, heralded the bill’s demise on Wednesday. They are part of a larger coalition that opposed the bill.