Wisconsin Department of Corrections

The Wisconsin Legislature first authorized a commission to locate and build a state prison in 1851. That first prison was opened in 1852 in Waupun, Wisconsin.^[5] In 1853, Wisconsin abolished the death penalty, making it the first state to do so.^[6] That same year, Wisconsin created the office of state prison commissioner as a state-wide partisan elected office. That office was abolished in 1874 and replaced by a board of commissioners appointed by the governor, which was folded into the state Board of Supervision of Charitable, Reformatory and Penal Institutions in 1881. That board was transformed into the Board of Control of Reformatory, Charitable, and Penal Institutions in 1891.^[7]

In 1909, a law was enacted creating parole and the state's first Parole officer was appointed. In 1933, Taycheedah Correctional Institution opened as an all female prison.

In 1939, control of state prisons was transferred to a new "Division of Corrections" established within the new Wisconsin Department of Public Welfare. There was a major reorganization of Wisconsin's state government agencies in 1967, and the Department of Public Welfare was replaced by the Wisconsin Department of Health and Social Services, where the Division of Corrections was relocated. The modern Wisconsin Department of Corrections was created by a chapter of the executive budget of 1989 (1989 Wisc. Act 31) and began operating January 1, 1990.^[7]

In June 2008, over 120 minimum-security supervised inmate workers were used to assist in filling sandbags and flood cleanup during the flooding.

In April 2020, the American Civil Liberties Union filed a lawsuit asking the Wisconsin Supreme Court to order Governor Tony Evers and the Department of Corrections to reduce the prison population due to COVID-19.^[8]

The Division of Adult Institutions (DAI) oversees 19 adult institutions and 16 adult correctional centers, along with the Office of Program Services, the Bureau of Correctional Enterprises, the Bureau of Health Services and the Bureau of Offender Classification and Movement.^[9] The Wisconsin Correctional Center System consists of 14 adult male facilities statewide that assist inmates in reintegration to the community.^[10] The Wisconsin Women's Correctional System includes Taycheedah Correctional Institution and two adult female correctional centers.

Male inmates entering the prison system first go to Dodge Correctional Institution before being given permanent assignments, and female inmates to Taycheedah Correctional Institution.^[11]

The Division of Juvenile Corrections operates three juvenile facilities and several regional offices in the Northwest and Southeast.

Secured juvenile correctional facilities include:^[12]

• Lincoln Hills School and Copper Lake School are located in Irma, WI.
• The Grow Academy is a residential program offering comprehensive treatment for county and state-supervised youth as an alternative to incarceration, as well as a step down for youth returning to the community.

The state also uses residential care centers and works with the Department of Health Services in relation to the Mendota Juvenile Treatment Center (MJTC).^[13]

Facilities that are now closed include:

• Ethan Allen School for Boys (Delafield Town^[14]) - Closed on July 1, 2011.^[15]
  • Facility was converted from the Wisconsin State TB Sanitarium to a juvenile facility in April 1959.
• Southern Oaks Girls School^[16] - Closed on July 1, 2011.^[15]

The function of the Division of Community Corrections (DCC) is to supervise offenders (more than 68,000 as of 2017) on probation, parole or extended supervision,^[17] which includes the operation and maintenance of the Wisconsin sex offender registry program.^[18] These offenders are supervised by Probation and Parole Agents who use evidence based-practices to enhance public safety by addressing their offender's most influential criminogenic needs to lower their level of recidivism and assist them in building skills needed to be successful in the community. Agents provide investigative services to the courts and the Parole Commission to aid in sentencing and community reentry planning.^[19]

On August 24, 2020, a Division of Community Corrections building was burned down during the Kenosha unrest. This office was responsible for the supervision of sexual offenders in Kenosha.

The Division of Management Services (DMS) provides analytical and operational services that support all Department of Corrections' policies, programs, and service delivery initiatives. The Division serves as a resource in the areas of training, risk management and safety, fleet management, budgeting, internal auditing, accounting, fiscal services, food services, purchasing and procurement, facilities management, telecommunications, general support services, information systems, technology management, and records management.^[20]

The Wisconsin Department of Corrections operates 20 prisons.

Since the establishment of the Wisconsin Department of Corrections, Two officers have died in the line of duty.^[21]

• List of United States state correction agencies
• List of law enforcement agencies in Wisconsin
• List of Wisconsin state prisons
• Wisconsin witch hunt

• Wisconsin Department of Corrections official website