Wisconsin’s Prisoner Projections Questioned

MADISON, Wis. – A state corrections analyst said state Department of Corrections projections showing a declining inmate population through 2006 should not be viewed as a long-term trend.

University of Wisconsin Law School professor Walter Dickey, a former secretary of the DOC who also chaired former Gov. Tommy Thompson’s task force on sentencing and corrections in 1996, warned the decline in the state inmate rolls may be “a blip on the screen” rather than a reversal of the pattern.

Dickey believes Truth in Sentencing laws will continue to swell inmate numbers, and that the state is forced to turn to early-release programs as a means to curb a jail population explosion fueled by tough legislation.

Last month, Wisconsin DOC officials met in Appleton with the sheriffs of county jails under contract to house state prisoners, warning that inmate reductions suggest no need to renew those contracts after next year.

DOC officials say the plan is based on current prison population data and estimates, which can change in 2005. In presenting the plan, Secretary Matthew Frank thought it only fair to alert the 12 county sheriffs well in advance so that they do not get caught unaware expecting non-existent budget funds.

Returning out-of-state prisoners was progressing ahead of plan, with 422 remaining in out-of-state prisons in early September, officials said. Another 500 were housed in 12 county jails.

DOC officials are concerned they may not have enough inmates to place in county jails. New facilities such as the New Lisbon and Stanley medium security institutions and the Chippewa Valley Correctional Treatment Facility have eased the need for the state to rent beds out of state, but state inmate populations also are lower than expected, the DOC reports.