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Wisconsin Inmate Search

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The following is for informational purposes only

How Are Inmate Records in Wisconsin Created and Stored?

Wisconsin inmate records are created by different types of law enforcement from federal agents to local police. The process begins when someone is arrested. The arresting officer fills out a RAP sheet to enter the suspect into the system. This form includes the offender’s name, address, phone number, mugshots, and details of his or her crime. Then they are held in jail until a hearing. After that, if they are sentenced to prison or attend any court proceedings, everything is entered in the file. The State of Wisconsin Department of Corrections is the government agency in charge of keeping, storing, and maintaining inmate records. They keep them online in a database and searchable so that the public can perform an inmate search at any time of day or night.

How to Perform a Wisconsin Inmate Locator?

Finding someone in a jail or prison in Wisconsin is pretty straightforward. However, each process is different. To find someone located in a Wisconsin state prison, simply follow the steps below, and you can look up any inmate in Wisconsin in minutes. Wisconsin has a specific website set up as an inmate locator so you will first need to visit that.

  1. Visit the State of Wisconsin Department of Corrections inmate locator website .
  2. Read the disclaimer and hit the “I agree” button.
  3. You will see a pretty big form with lots of criteria you can enter like DOC#, name, race, birth year, age, status, gender and whether or not the person is a sex offender.
  4. Enter your information and click the tiny “Perform Search” link at the bottom of the form.
  5. The results will show on a new page with the name, birth year, race, county, zip code, and status.
  6. Click on an inmate’s last name to see additional details about them, including where they are being held, a mugshot and court case details.

Additionally, anyone looking for information on inmates, convictions, incarcerations, arrests, warrants, or other criminal records could use the Infotracer tool to find those details in minutes.

What Does Wisconsin’s Prison System Look Like?

The Wisconsin prison system is quite simple with a few state prisons, facilities for youth offenders and local county jails. All state-run facilities and programs are overseen and managed by the State of Wisconsin Department of Corrections. The entire Wisconsin prison system is comprised of the following:

  • 36 State Prisons
  • 5 Juvenile Detention Centers
  • 1 Federal Prison
  • 1 Various local county jails

Did you Know?

  • 0.40% of people in Wisconsin are under correctional control, from which 44,489 are on probation, and 20,401 are on parole.
  • Every year, about 5,279 people walk out of prison gates in Wisconsin, but people go to jail 1.1 times more each year
  • 94% of prison inmates in Wisconsin are male, 6% female.
  • From 1979–80 to 2012–13, state and local government expenditures on corrections in Wisconsin increased by 351 percent (from $317,570,563 to $1,433,083,000).
  • Wisconsin has 41 facilities under state or federal authority that provided educational programs to inmates, from which only 8 provided College courses.

Types of Jails and Prisons in Wisconsin

Wisconsin has only a few limited types of prisons and correctional facilities. They do have a good number of state prisons managed and overseen by the State of Wisconsin Department of Corrections and Secretary, Kevin A. Carr. State prisons hold felons guilty of breaking state laws. Then the federal government has one federal prison in Wisconsin, and that is managed by the Federal Bureau of Prisons. The state has five juvenile detention centers that house youth offenders up to 18 years old. Wisconsin has various local county jails holding pretrial detainees and recently arrested individuals. These jails are managed by local law enforcement.

How Many People are Locked up in Wisconsin?

Wisconsin’s prison system holds 23,377 residents in various kinds of correctional facilities, from which 23,135 residents are held in state prisons, 18 in federal prisons, 37 in juvenile correctional facilities, and 187 in local jails.

Correctional Facilities:Totals:
Juvenile Correctional Facilities37
Federal Prisons18
State Prisons23,135
Local Jails187

Wisconsin State Prisons

The state of Wisconsin has thirty-six state prisons. Each one has a different focus. Some are geared towards treatment, and others secure confinement. Three of them are for women prisoners only. Each has units with differing levels of custody. All state-run facilities are managed and overseen by the State of Wisconsin Department of Corrections. The list of state prisons in Wisconsin includes:

  • Chippewa Valley Correctional Treatment Facility.
  • Columbia Correctional Institution.
  • Dodge Correctional Institution.
  • Fox Lake Correctional Institution.
  • Green Bay Correctional Institution.
  • Jackson Correctional Institution.
  • Kettle Moraine Correctional Institution.
  • Milwaukee Secure Detention Facility.
  • New Lisbon Correctional Institution.
  • Oakhill Correctional Institution.
  • Oshkosh Correctional Institution.
  • Prairie du Chien Correctional Institution.
  • Racine Correctional Institution.
  • Racine Youthful Offender Correctional Facility.
  • Redgranite Correctional Institution.
  • Stanley Correctional Institution.
  • Sturtevant Transitional Facility.
  • Waupun Correctional Institution.
  • Wisconsin Secure Program Facility.
  • Black River Correctional Center.
  • Drug Abuse Correctional Center.
  • Felmers O. Chaney Correctional Center.
  • Flambeau Correctional Center.
  • Gordon Correctional Center.
  • John C. Burke Correctional Center.
  • Kenosha Correctional Center.
  • Marshall E. Sherrer Correctional Center.
  • McNaughton Correctional Center.
  • Oregon Correctional Center.
  • Sanger B. Powers Correctional Center.
  • St. Croix Correctional Center.
  • Thompson Correctional Center.
  • Winnebago Correctional Center.
  • Taycheedah Correctional Institution.
  • Milwaukee Women’s Correctional Center.
  • Robert E. Ellsworth Correctional Center.

How to Locate State Prison Offender Information

The process for finding someone in a Wisconsin state prison is quite easy. The State of Wisconsin Department of Corrections has a website locator website specifically designed to help the general public locate inmates in the Wisconsin prison system. Just follow the steps below to find an inmate located in a Wisconsin state prison:

  1. Visit the State of Wisconsin Department of Corrections inmate locator website .
  2. Read the disclaimer and hit the “I agree” button.
  3. You will see a pretty big form with lots of criteria you can enter like DOC#, name, race, birth year, age, status, gender and whether or not the person is a sex offender.
  4. Enter your information and click the tiny “Perform Search” link at the bottom of the form.
  5. The results will show on a new page with the name, birth year, race, county, zip code, and status.
  6. Click on an inmate’s last name to see additional details about them, including where they are being held, a mugshot and court case details.

Wisconsin Federal Prisons

Wisconsin also has one federal prison for holding federal inmates who have broken federal laws inside the state. All federal prisons are managed and overseen by the Federal Bureau of Prisons (FOB). They have a helpful website with lots of information about their facilities, their rules, and the inmates. The list of federal prisons in Wisconsin include:

  • Oxford FCI - A medium-security federal correctional institution with an adjacent minimum-security satellite camp housing 974 male inmates.

Wisconsin's Federal Prison Population During 2011-2016 years

201120122013201420152016
Total654812132518
Male654812122518
Female000100

How to Search for Federal Prison Inmates in Wisconsin

The process for finding a federal prison inmate in Wisconsin is easy but different than finding someone in a Wisconsin state prison. This is because all federal prisons are managed and run by the Federal Bureau of Prisons . Therefore, anyone wanting to locate an inmate in federal prison must contact them. They do have an extensive website with an inmate locator feature on it as well as a page for each facility with directions, contact details, and information about inmate visitation, phone calls and sending money or gifts.

Wisconsin County Jails

The state of Wisconsin has 72 counties. Many of them have local jails managed by police or Sheriff’s Offices. These county jails are where suspects are taken and held until his or her hearing or trial. In some cases, they hold inmates who have been sentenced to short stays in jail instead of prison. Most often jails hold pretrial detainees.

Wisconsin's County and Local Jail Prison Population During 2011-2016 years

201120122013201420152016
Total1497011727187
Male144669727187
Female542000

How to Search for County Jail Inmates

To find someone who is in a county jail in Wisconsin isn’t very hard, but it’s different than finding someone in state or federal prison. Due to the fact that all county jails are run by local law enforcement, the inmate records are not stored in the same database. Therefore, if you want to look up someone in a Wisconsin jail, you can either call the local county Sheriff’s Office or check online. Many of the local law enforcement agencies have websites with an offender search feature or a listing of their current jail inmates.

Wisconsin Juvenile Detention Centers

Wisconsin has five juvenile detention centers that house its youth offenders. All of these facilities are run by the State of Wisconsin Department of Corrections and the Division of Juvenile Corrections. Their mission states: “The mission of DJC is to promote a juvenile justice system that balances protection of the community, youth accountability, and competency building for responsible and productive community living.” The list of juvenile detention centers in Wisconsin includes:

  • Copper Lake School.
  • Lincoln Hills School.
  • Grow Academy.
  • Northwest Regional Offices.
  • Southeast Regional Office.

Juvenile Population in Custody During 2011-2016 years

201120122013201420152016
Total281327183737
Male271326173433
Female101134

How to Search for Inmates in Juvenile Detention Center Inmates

Juvenile records are typically sealed until the inmate is 18 years old. Then they have the option of applying to have those records expunged. Therefore, many juvenile records will never make it into open public records. So, searching online for an inmate in a Wisconsin juvenile detention center is not possible. However, someone wanting to find an inmate there can contact the State of Wisconsin Department of Corrections and the Division of Juvenile Corrections or the facility directly to inquire about a specific individual.

Why are People Incarcerated in Wisconsin?

About 41,000 people are incarcerated in the state of Wisconsin. Of that total, more than half (27,000) are in state prison, 13,000 reside in local jails, 2,200 are in federal prison, 760 are in youth detention, another 30 are in Indian Country facilities, and 580 are in mental institutions receiving treatment. About 67% of inmates in Wisconsin have been convicted of a violent offense. Another 13% committed property crimes, 11% are in prison due to drug charges, and 9% because of public disorderly conduct.

Wisconsin’s Incarceration Rate and Statistics

Wisconsin’s incarceration rate for year-end 2016 under state prison or local jail jurisdiction per 100,000 population was 383, which is lower than an average incarceration rate by 15%. The number of Wisconsin prisoners at the year-end of 2016 was 23,377, from which 6% were female prisoners, whereas the number of male prisoners was 21,889 in 2016.

2011201220132014201520162017
Total385357370371377383391
Male735680704702712721732
Female40384045464853

Where Do Wisconsin Inmates Go When They are Released?

Wisconsin has thirty-six correctional facilities, and one of them is specially designed as a low-risk, low-security transitional facility. This unit helps offenders gain the skills and confidence they need before being released so that the state can eliminate recidivism and protect the safety of the community. Other prison inmates who do not transition out this way will simply go back home to family and friends.

How Does Parole Work in Wisconsin?

Parole is a supervisory program in Wisconsin that works when the parole board feels that an inmate has served enough time and no longer poses a threat to society. They are released early but with specific stipulations like regular check-ins with a parole officer and other items. If the inmate violates any of the terms of his or her parole, they will be returned to prison.

Parole Population

Type of Parole Entry:Number of Parolees:
State Parole Population:20,401
Entries:0
Exits:1,450
Change in 2016:0%

How Does Someone Get Probation in Wisconsin?

Sometimes a judge in Wisconsin will order probation instead of a prison sentence upon conviction. This happens most often with low-risk and first-time offenders. Probation is also a supervisory program, and the probationer must follow strict rules. If they fail to check-in with their probation officer or violate any of the other court-ordered rules, they will go to prison.

Probation Statistics

Type of Parole Entry:Number of Parolees:
State Probation Population:44,489
Entries:0
Exits:6,351
Change in 2016:-3%

5 Most Unsafe Counties in the Area

A list of 5 counties in Wisconsin that have the highest arrest rate

CountyCrime Rate
Burnett County2,234.93
Saint Croix County2,092.37
Florence County1,615.80
Forest County1,345.98
Iron County1,309.81

Wisconsin Department of Corrections

  • Address:3099 E. Washington Ave.
    Madison, WI 53704
  • Phone:(608) 240-5000
  • Website: https://doc.wi.gov

Wisconsin Inmate Search

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