Assembly Republicans Signal Openness To Closing State’s Second-Oldest Prison
Gov. Tony Evers’ proposed plan to close maximum security Green Bay Correctional Institution.
The Green Bay Correctional Institution in Allouez, built in the 1890s, is Wisconsin’s second-oldest state prison. Rauglothgor/Wikimedia Commons
Two Republicans in the state Legislature are signaling that they’re open to closing a prison near Green Bay — a key part of a large prison reform package recently proposed by Gov. Tony Evers.
State Rep. Dean Kaufert is the chair of the 2025 Assembly Committee on Corrections. He told WPR’s “Wisconsin Today” that Assembly Republicans he has spoken to are in agreement on closing the prison that opened 125 years ago.
“It’s an outdated facility. The operating costs are huge,” Kaufert said. “The bottom line is, it’s time to close that facility.”
Evers’ plan would involve a series of changes to several prisons around the state to allow for closing the Green Bay facility, including changing Waupun’s maximum security prison into a medium-security institute focused on job training. The plan would have the Lincoln Hills School for boys and Copper Lake School for girls converted into a 500-bed medium security prison for adult men, as well.
A bipartisan coalition of state and local leaders have called for the closure of the Green Bay facility, citing inmate levels more than triple the prison’s capacity, safety concerns and an outdated, cramped design.
At a press briefing earlier this month, Evers said his prison reform plan would save Wisconsin taxpayers money.
“We’ll save Wisconsin taxpayers about a billion dollars right up front by not building a new facility that won’t help us any time soon because it won’t be done for another decade,” Evers said.
State Sen. Jesse James is vice chair of the Senate’s Committee on Judiciary and Public Safety. He told “Wisconsin Today” he agreed with efforts to close the Green Bay prison.
“But we definitely all have to come to the table, and we have to have the discussion and the communication to do this successfully,” James said. “Not just one party taking the lead and doing it all on their own.”
This echoed sentiments from Assembly Speaker Robin Vos, who accused Evers at a WisPolitics forum Tuesday of unilaterally creating this prison reform package.
“He didn’t really consult any Republicans, which I think was a mistake,” Vos said. “We’re going to get our own position in the right place first. Then I’m happy to engage Democrats and see if there’s areas [where] we can find bipartisan consensus.”
Another aspect of the plan would convert the Stanley Correctional Institution northeast of Eau Claire from a medium to high security prison. The Stanley prison is in James’ district. He said the transition from medium to high security would affect current inmates.
“From what I understand, the majority [of current inmates] would be transferred to Waupun [Correctional Institution] and then the transition from a medium security into a maximum would take place. Eventually we could even flex it into a medium custody institution, as well,” James said. “I know that Stanley also has the capability and ability to potentially grow with the land that they have, as well.”
Assembly Republicans signal openness to closing Green Bay prison was originally published by Wisconsin Public Radio.
If you think stories like this are important, become a member of Urban Milwaukee and help support real, independent journalism. Plus you get some cool added benefits.
