Wisconsin State Prison Population Approaches Record High
In 2019, Wisconsin incarcerated 23,826 prisoners, a record high and nearly 6,000 more than the official capacity of its prison system. Now, after several years of decline during the COVID-19 pandemic, the state is on track to reach its previous record. It’s currently only behind around 200 people.
Overcrowding at state prisons has particularly affected women, as Wisconsin’s three women’s prisons together house 18 prisoners for every 10 they were designed for. The reason for this trend, according to data compiled by Wisconsin Watch, is two-fold: the population of women prisoners has grown at a significantly faster rate than in the men’s system; simultaneously, the state Department of Corrections (DOC) shrank women’s facilities to make space for men. The situation has led to women prisoners being housed in gyms and offices.
Across the state prison system, Wisconsin prisoners often wait for months or years to access treatment, education and work programs. Staffing has also not kept up with the rising incarceration rate, which, in 2023, resulted in a months-long “nightmare” lock down at the Waupun Correctional Institution. [See: PLN, Apr. 2024, p.11.] Currently, the DOC is short around 620 full-time guards.
While these problems have persisted for several decades in Wisconsin, state Gov. Tony Evers (D) announced in April 2026 the state will begin issuing commutations for the first time since 2001. The policy change, which could result in reduced sentences for those who are eligible, was spurred directly by the need to reduce the state’s prison population.
Source: Wisconsin Watch
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