RECENT HISTORY
As of March 3, 2015, the Felmers O. Chaney Advocacy Board (FCAB) is an independent body and is not affiliated with the Wisconsin Department of Corrections or any other governmental body or institution. FCAB is an advocacy board comprised of private citizens guided by a shared concern for social justice, corrections policy, and the successful re-entry of former inmates as they return to their communities. All documents on this site pre-dating March 3, 2015 are historical and in reference to FCAB’s prior incarnation as a Wisconsin Department of Corrections affiliated citizens advisory board. Click on the History tab for a chronology of the evolution of the Board.
IMPORTANT DOCUMENTS:
History and Success of FCAB: 2000 - DOC Dis-affiliation
Community Advocacy Board (FCAB) Locked Out
Prior to the full opening of the Felmers O. Chaney Correctional Center, initially known as the Men’s Correctional Center, which occurred on June 19, 2000, representatives of the Wisconsin Department of Corrections (DOC) sought endorsements from various community groups to build the prison, including an endorsement from Milwaukee’s Sherman Park Community Association (SPCA). SPCA conditionally endorsed construction of the prison based upon SPCA’s insistence that the prison have a community advisory board. DOC representatives concurred with SPCA’s demand for an advisory board and DOC, in holding to the agreement, on August 21, 2000, issued the following statement:
“The purpose of the Board will be established in support of effective re-integration of offenders back into the communities from which they came. The Board will work in collaboration with the Men’s Correctional Center to address the interests and concerns of the community and facility. It will further serve as a contact point between the facility and the community at large to share information and respond to issues that are brought to their attention.”
The first board meeting took place on October 4, 2000 after which the board developed its own mission statement, as follows.
Purpose, Goals, and Mission. The object and purpose of this Board is to advocate in behalf of reducing recidivism, enhancing ex-offender re-integration, and lowering state budget costs due to incarceration. Additionally, FCAB is dedicated to disseminating to the lay public and to decision-makers pertinent information that can assist in achieving those goals, and it serves as a contact point with the community at large to share information and respond to issues that are brought to the Board's attention. FCAB seeks also to be vigilant in its cognizance of the safety, needs, and related concerns of residents of the Milwaukee metropolitan community, in particular, and to promote policies and procedures that are harmonious with all of FCAB’s aforementioned goals
