Incarceration and Sacred Space
press release: “Incarceration and Sacred Space" will be held on Sunday, July 29, 4:00 - 6:00 pm, at New Life Church, 7564 Cottage Grove Road. A multi-faith panel of religious leaders and people formerly incarcerated will discuss the impact of sacred space on those held in jail. This is an urgent conversation, as the blueprint for the $76 million Dane County Jail (DCJ) renovation is being finalized. The current plan does not include a designated sacred space. The panel, moderated by Rev Christa Fisher, will include Elder Katharine Goray, Rev. John Mix, Imam Hanif NuMan, Watchman James Morgan, Robert Lynn, and Minister Janice Toliver. Fisher, Goray and Mix are former Dane County Jail chaplains; Morgan is a peer support specialist and community activist who was formerly incarcerated; Robert Lynn is a formerly incarcerated worshipper; and Janice Toliver is a minister with Christ the Solid Rock Baptist Church.
When the jail facility at the City-County building is closed, the jail’s chapel will disappear. There is no inter-faith chapel in the Public Safety Building (PSB), and one is not included in renovation plans. It is crucial that designated sacred space(s) are included in the renovated jail as sanctuary from the fear, chaos, and dehumanization of incarceration. The space(s) being sought will be used for religious services, prayer, meditation, contemplation, and other types of worship, as well as spiritual study and personal reflection.
A deliberately designed space has the power to set a transformative atmosphere that spiritually and emotionally fosters the ability to feel fully human and open to change. When people step into a well-designed space, the space can purposefully communicate that people are standing on sacred ground. Space itself, it’s presence, absence, and environment is theological. Intentionally set aside and planned space or the lack thereof can form or deform our spirits, humanize or dehumanize our souls.
The currently inadequate Spiritual Care services within the Dane County Jail will only get worse without sacred space in the renovated jail. Nearly 900 men, women, and teenagers are locked in the Dane County Jail each day, over 16,000 each year. Protestant men are only eligible for worship on a rotational basis once every three weeks. Once a week Catholic, Muslim, and Protestant services are limited to 20 men each. There is no opportunity for teenagers or Muslim women to worship. Despite the Chaplains’ urgings, the Dane County Sheriff’s Department continues to prohibit worship by people of non-Abrahamic faith traditions. In addition, they have refused to increase Protestant, Catholic and Muslim worship opportunities, although people are continually sharing that they are not allowed to come to service. Limited staff is cited as the primary impediment. The Dane County Jail has not done a spiritual needs assessment. Without a needs assessment, there is no way to honestly assess the spiritual needs of the people in the Dane County Jail.
This community conversation is a first step in understanding and advocating for the spiritual needs and rights of the men, women, and children locked in the Dane County Jail. This event is hosted by the Racial Equity Task Force of the South-Central Synod of Wisconsin - ELCA (Evangelical Lutheran Church in America).
For more information contact the moderator, Rev Christa J Fisher, 608-332-9424, ChaplainChrista@