Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers has introduced a $500 million prison reform plan to permanently close the state’s crisis-plagued Green Bay Correctional Institution – built in 1898 – while restructuring its troubled corrections network. This corrections system overhaul avoids building new prisons, instead converting existing facilities to address systemic failures like inmate deaths, staff assaults, and crumbling infrastructure.
This plan is as good as plans get,Evers declared, urging bipartisan cooperation. The proposal tackles three critical challenges:
- Closing the 125-year-old Green Bay prison and converting Waupun Correctional (1851) from maximum to medium security
- Transforming juvenile detention centers into adult facilities near Madison
- Expanding early release programs for nonviolent offenders
The administration emphasizes no staff layoffs despite closing two prisons – a key compromise to protect jobs in Waupun and Green Bay. However, converting Lincoln Hills juvenile prison remains stalled eight years after initial closure plans.
Maintenance costs for Wisconsin’s pre-World War II prisons have ballooned to unsustainable levels, with Green Bay alone requiring $325 million in repairs. The plan redirects funds toward modernizing vocational training spaces and adding 200 minimum-security beds through expansions.
Evers argues this strategy saves taxpayers $800 million compared to constructing new prisons. Yet Republican legislators – who’ve blocked earlier reforms – must approve the timeline targeting completion by 2030.
