Proposed $628.7 Million Wisconsin Corrections Plan Sets Scope for Facilities Work

Under a draft bill proposed by a Wisconsin state representative, the Green Bay Correctional Institution, which opened in 1898 and has faced overcrowding and aging infrastructure issues, would close no sooner 2031. | Photo Credit: Wisconsin Department of Corrections

• A bipartisan draft bill outlines an estimated $628.7 million in bonds for work at seven Wisconsin correctional facilities. 
• Green Bay Correctional Institution would close no sooner than four years after the plan is adopted, with $4.8 million for closure and $1 million for staff retention and relocation. 
• Waupun Correctional Institution would receive $258.5 million for reconstruction; other projects would expand or reconfigure capacity at Taycheedah, Jackson, Lincoln Hills, Sanger B. Powers and Stanley. 
• The package would add a net 530 beds and is not expected to reach the Legislature before the next session begins in January. 

ALLOUEZ, Wis. — Wisconsin officials have developed a draft $628.7 million correctional facilities package that would rebuild or reconfigure seven institutions while keeping Green Bay Correctional Institution open until at least 2031. 

State Rep. Benjamin Franklin, R-De Pere, presented the proposal Sept. 1 to the Allouez Village Board after months of negotiations involving lawmakers, Gov. Tony Evers’ office and state administration and corrections officials. The Department of Administration is expected to refine the preliminary bond total within 45 days. 

The plan assigns $4.8 million to close Green Bay Correctional and $1 million for staff retention and relocation. Closure would occur no sooner than four years after the plan is adopted, and the state would list the property for sale within 90 days after operations end. Franklin said the timeline is the most realistic one identified by the administration and corrections departments. 

Waupun Correctional Institution would receive the largest allocation, $258.5 million, for reconstruction. The package incorporates parts of Evers’ earlier $245 million request to rebuild living quarters while preserving a Republican priority that the state system not lose capacity. The combined projects would add a net 530 beds. 

Taycheedah Correctional Institution would receive $180 million to add 180 beds, including 100 for inmates with mental health needs and 30 for mothers and infants. Jackson Correctional Institution would receive $122 million to add 100 beds, with a possible 320-bed expansion. The plan also directs $48.6 million to bring Sanger B. Powers Correctional Center to 260 beds; $9 million to convert the Lincoln Hills School juvenile facility into a 500-bed medium-security adult prison; and $5.8 million to allow Stanley Correctional Institution to operate at maximum, medium or combined security levels. 

In November of 2025, Correctional News reported that the Wisconsin State Building Commission had released $15 million in 2025 to begin planning for a broader corrections modernization effort. Additional Correctional News coverage from January of this year also examined the state’s effort to replace the Lincoln Hills and Copper Lake Schools with smaller youth facilities closer to their communities before repurposing the campus for adults. 

Franklin and state Rep. David Steffen, R-Howard, are authoring the most recent draft, which Franklin said is unlikely to be introduced before the next legislative session in January. “We are that close. Everything is drafted,” Franklin told reporters, according to an article from the Green Bay Press-Gazette. 

Green Bay Correctional, which was originally built in 1898, has faced persistent overcrowding, safety and staffing concerns. It was designed with a capacity of 749, but the Wisconsin Department of Corrections reported last year that its average daily population exceeds 1,000 inmates. Meanwhile, its vacancy rate reached 42.5% in February, the highest level in DOC data made available to the Green Bay Press-Gazette. 

State Sen. Jamie Wall, D-Green Bay, said a closure must protect public safety and support employees through the transition. “Wisconsin’s prison system needs reform, and GBCI needs to close,” Wall said, according to an article from the Green Bay Press-Gazette. 

This article is based on reporting originally published by the Green Bay Press-Gazette on Sept. 2, 2026, with additional reporting from Correctional News.