Gov. Evers looks to overhaul Corrections system

Gov. Tony Evers along with Wisconsin Department of Corrections (DOC) Secretary Jared Hoy are proposing significant changes to Wisconsin’s corrections system. Evers’ plan is described as a “domino,” series of facility changes, improvements, and modernization efforts across Wisconsin’s correctional institutions including closing Green Bay Correctional Institution (GBCI) in 2029 and rehabilitating and transforming Waupun Correctional Institution (WCI) facilities that were both build in the 1800s. In this plan, Gov. Evers proposes increasing capacity for substance use disorder treatment by investing in paying to recruit and retain the needed treatment providers and eliminate the long waitlists for treatment. A sweeping part of Gov. Evers’ proposal will involve several of Wisconsin’s most controversial prisons and youth facilities. Additionally, Gov. Evers is planning to convert WCI into a medium-security institution that be designated as the state’s first ‘vocational village,’