Wisconsin’s prison population reaches a record 23,854 as advocates point to deeper policy failures

The useful part

The figure surpasses the last record, set in 2019, and raises questions about whether and how the state will take steps to address its chronically overcrowded prison problem. The record high was first reported by Wisconsin Watch, which noted that the prison system was designed to hold nearly 6,000 fewer people than it currently does. In some prisons, such as the three prisons housing women in Wisconsin, gyms and office spaces have been converted into dorm space.

How it works

• Meanwhile, the DOC struggles with staffing shortages among correctional officers, medical and psych workers.
• Shannon Ross, a member of Justice Forward Wisconsin has watched the prison population rising again after dropping after the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020.
• The daily interactions incarcerated people have with correctional staff can either reinforce rehabilitation or work directly against it.
• The attacks are similar to those against probation, parole, and the bail system.
• 21, however, the population had risen to nearly 1,000 people.

What to take from it

The state has also struggled to finally close the troubled Lincoln Hills juvenile prison, despite bipartisan agreement that it needs to shut down what has been one of the largest facilities of its kind in America. That's what happened to Dennis Simmons, who was nearly sent back to prison in 2025 due to false accusations, and a probation agent who tried to revoke Simmons despite having evidence that the accusations against him were false. "I'm sympathetic to that because those things do happen, but they happen in life, period," said Ross.

Example or evidence

• Wisconsin is an outlier, with some of the highest rates of imprisonment for Black and brown people in the country.
• "It's been going up steadily every year," Ross told the Wisconsin Examiner.
• If we want to reduce recidivism, rehabilitation cannot simply exist on paper.
• It has to create an actual path toward successful reentry." The DOC says incarcerated people have access to various programs aimed at rehabilitation and education.

Details worth keeping

28, there were 23,854 people housed across adult prisons in Wisconsin. Earlier this year, for example, the University of Wisconsin college system graduated its first incarcerated bachelors degree students in over 50 years. The students graduated as a result of a partnership program between the DOC and UW.

Related coverage

• Wisconsinwatch: Wisconsin's prison population broke records this week with 23,854 behind bars.
• Wislawjournal: Wisconsin's prison population hits a record 23,854 people as overcrowding, staffing shortages and criminal justice reforms remain major concerns.
• Wislawjournal: Wisconsin's prison population hits a record high as gubernatorial candidates Tom Tiffany and David Crowley outline differing corrections plans.
• Justsecurity: States need independent agencies with jurisdiction to enforce their residents' rights so the valuation of those rights are evenhanded and not subject to political will.