Chapter 301 — CORRECTIONS

301.001 Purposes of chapters. The purposes of this chapter and chs. 302 to 304 are to prevent delinquency and crime by an attack on their causes; to provide a just, humane and efficient program of rehabilitation of offenders; and to coordinate and integrate corrections programs w…

301.01 Definitions. In this chapter and chs. 302 to 304: (1) “Department” means the department of corrections. (1m) “Juvenile correctional facility” has the meaning given in s. 938.02 (10p). (1n) “Juvenile correctional services” means services provided for a juvenile who is under…

301.02 Institutions governed. The department shall maintain and govern the state correctional institutions. History: 1989 a. 31. Cross-reference: See also ch. DOC 310, Wis. adm. code.

301.025 Division of juvenile corrections. The division of juvenile corrections shall exercise the powers and perform the duties of the department that relate to juvenile correctional services and institutions, juvenile offender review, community supervision under s. 938.533, and …

301.027 Treatment program at one or more juvenile correctional facilities. The department shall maintain an intensive alcohol and other drug abuse program at one or more juvenile correctional facilities. History: 1995 a. 27; 1999 a. 9; 2005 a. 344; 2019 a. 8.

301.029 Contracts requiring prisoner access to personal information. (1) In this section, “financial transaction card” has the meaning given in s. 943.41 (1) (em). (2) (a) The department may not enter into any contract or other agreement if, in the performance of the contract or …

301.03 General corrections authority. The department shall: (1) Supervise, manage, preserve and care for the buildings, grounds and other property pertaining to the state correctional institutions and promote the objectives for which they are established. (2) Supervise the custod…

301.032 Juvenile correctional services; supervisory functions of state department. (1) (a) The department shall supervise the administration of juvenile correctional services. The department shall submit to the federal authorities state plans for the administration of juvenile co…

301.035 Division of hearings and appeals; administrator’s general duties. The administrator of the division of hearings and appeals in the department of administration shall: (1) Serve as the appointing authority of the employees of the division under s. 230.06. (2) Assign hearin…

301.045 Investigations. The secretary may inquire into any matter affecting corrections and hold hearings, subpoena witnesses and make recommendations on such matters to the appropriate public or private agencies. History: 1989 a. 31.

301.046 Community residential confinement. (1) INSTITUTION STATUS. The department shall establish and operate a community residential confinement program as a correctional institution under the charge of a superintendent. Under the program, the department shall confine prisoners …

301.047 Inmate rehabilitation and aftercare. (1) PROGRAM. The department may permit one or more nonprofit community-based organizations meeting the requirements of this section to operate an inmate rehabilitation program in any department facility if the department determines tha…

301.048 Intensive sanctions program. (1) PROGRAM ADMINISTRATION AND DESIGN. The department shall administer an intensive sanctions program. The department shall design the program to provide all of the following: (a) Punishment that is less costly than ordinary imprisonment and m…

301.049 Mother-young child care program. (1) PROGRAM. The department shall administer a mother-young child care program allowing females to retain, during participation in the program, the physical custody of their children. (2) ELIGIBILITY. (a) The department shall provide the p…

301.05 Gifts; trustee duty. The department may: (1) Accept gifts, grants or donations of money or property from private sources to be administered by the department for the execution of its functions. All moneys so received shall be paid into the general fund and are appropriated…

301.055 Prisoner population limits. The department shall promulgate rules providing limits on the number of prisoners at all state prisons, but excluding those prisoners confined in the institution authorized under s. 301.046 (1) or in a Type 2 prison. The rules shall provide sys…

301.06 Education and prevention. The department may do all of the following: (1) Develop and maintain education and prevention programs. May 22, 2026, are designated by NOTES. (Published 5-22-26) 9 Updated 23-24 Wis. Stats. (2) Study causes and methods of prevention and treatment…

301.065 Religious organizations; contract powers. (1) RELIGIOUS ORGANIZATIONS; LEGISLATIVE PURPOSE. The purpose of this section is to allow the department to contract with, or award grants to, religious organizations, under any program administered by the department relating to t…

301.068 Community services to reduce recidivism. (1) The department shall establish community services that have the goals of increasing public safety, reducing the risk that offenders on community supervision will reoffend, and reducing by 2010-11 the recidivism rate of persons …

301.07 Cooperation and contracts with federal government. The department may cooperate with the federal government in carrying out federal acts concerning adult corrections and juvenile correctional services and may enter into contracts with the federal government under 18 USC 50…

301.073 American Indian tribal community reintegration program. The department shall establish a program to facilitate the reintegration of American Indians who have been incarcerated in a state prison into their American Indian tribal communities. Under the program, each partici…

301.075 Disbursement of funds and facsimile signatures. Withdrawal or disbursement of moneys deposited in a public depository, as defined in s. 34.01 (5), to the credit of the department or any of its divisions or agencies shall be by check, share draft or other draft signed by t…

301.085 Payment of benefits. (1) The department may make payments of benefits directly to persons who are authorized to receive those payments in accordance with law and rules of the department on behalf of the counties. The department may charge the counties for the cost of maki…

301.09 Grants for pilot programs or demonstration projects. Whenever the department provides a grant after August 15, 1991, for a pilot program or demonstration project, the department shall do all of the following: (1) State on the grant application that the funding for the prog…

301.095 Council on offender reentry. The council on offender reentry shall do all of the following: (1) Inform the public as to the time and place of council meetings and, for at least one meeting per year, encourage public participation and receive public input in a means determ…

301.098 Community reentry centers. (1) In this section: (a) “Community reentry center” means a community site that offers initial points of contact for all of the following services to an individual at the time of his or her release from a state correctional institution upon comp…

301.10 Purchases, bills, audits, payments. Unless otherwise provided by law, no bills may be incurred in the management of the institutions nor be paid until they have been audited by the department of corrections under the supervision of the department of administration. All pay…

301.103 Prescription drug formulary. The corrections system formulary board shall promulgate rules establishing written guidelines or procedures for making therapeutic alternate drug selections for the purposes of s. 450.01 (16) (hr). Rules promulgated under this section shall ap…

301.105 Telephone company commissions. The department shall collect moneys for commissions from telephone companies for contracts to provide telephone services to inmates. May 22, 2026, are designated by NOTES. (Published 5-22-26) 301.105 CORRECTIONS The department shall transmit…

301.11 Reports of corrections institutions. (1) MONTHLY REPORT. The officer in charge of each state institution under the control of the department shall report monthly to the department an itemized statement of all receipts and disbursements and of the daily number of inmates, o…

301.12 Cost of care and maintenance, liability; collection and deportation counsel; collections; court actions; recovery. (1) Liability and the collection and enforcement of such liability for the care, maintenance, services, and supplies specified in this section is governed exc…

301.13 Minimum security correctional institutions.

301.132 Honesty testing of sex offenders.

301.135 Electronic monitoring.

301.14 State-local shared correctional facilities.

301.15 Medium security prison.

301.16 Construction or establishment of certain institutions.

301.17 Minimum security corrections institutions. 301.18

301.18 Correctional and other institutions; expansion and establishment of facilities. (1) The department of corrections shall: (a) Provide the facilities necessary for at least 25 additional beds at Camp Flambeau. (b) Provide the facilities necessary for at least 45 additional b…

301.19 Restrictions on construction or modifications of correctional facilities. (1) In this section: (a) “Authorized jurisdiction” means a county, 2 counties acting jointly under s. 302.44, the United States, or a federally recognized American Indian tribe or band in this state.…

301.205 Reimbursement to visiting families. The department may reimburse families visiting girls at a juvenile correctional facility. If the department decides to provide the reimbursement, the department shall establish criteria for the level of reimbursement, which shall includ…

301.21 Contracts for the transfer and confinement of Wisconsin prisoners in other states. (1m) (a) The department may enter into one or more contracts with another state or a political subdivision of another state for the transfer and confinement in that state of prisoners who ha…

301.235 Structures, facilities and permanent improvements. (1) In this section unless the context requires otherwise: (a) “Existing building”, in relation to any conveyance, lease or sublease made under sub. (2) (a) 1., 2. and 3., means all detention, treatment, administrative, r…

301.24 Lands; condemnation, easements, leases, sales, purchases. (1) CONDEMNATION. When the department is authorized and desires to acquire land and is unable to agree with the owner upon the terms of purchase, or when agreement cannot be had without unreasonable delay, the depar…

301.25 Sewer system at Taycheedah Correctional Institution. The department, with the approval of the governor, may enter into an agreement containing terms, conditions and covenants approved by the building commission, to participate in the construction of a sanitary sewer system…

301.26 Juvenile correctional services; state services. (1) PROCEDURES. The department shall develop procedures for the implementation of this section and standards for the development and delivery of juvenile correctional services, and shall provide consultation and technical ass…

301.27 Meal and other charges; vending stands; commissary; and butter and cheese. (1) CHARGES. In compliance with the compensation plan established under s. 230.12 (3), the department may make and determine charges for meals, living quarters, laundry, and other services furnished…

301.28 Training of correctional officers. (1) In this section, “correctional officer” means any person classified as a correctional officer employed by the state whose principal duty is the supervision of inmates at a prison, as defined in s. 302.01. (2) (a) Correctional officers…