Chapter 782 — HABEAS CORPUS

782.01 Habeas corpus, who to have; definitions. (1) Every person restrained of personal liberty may prosecute a writ of habeas corpus to obtain relief from such restraint subject to ss.

782.02 and 974.06. (2) Any person confined in any hospital or institution as mentally ill or committed for treatment of alcoholism or drug dependence under s. 51.45 (13) may prosecute such writ, and the question of mental illness or need for treatment shall be determined by the c…

782.03 Petition for writ. Application for the writ shall be by petition, signed either by the prisoner or by some person in his or her behalf, and may be made to the supreme court, the court of appeals or the circuit court of the county, or to any justice or judge of the supreme …

782.04 Petition; contents. Such petition must be verified and must state in substance: (1) That the person in whose behalf the writ is applied for is May 22, 2026, are designated by NOTES. (Published 5-22-26) 782.04 HABEAS CORPUS restrained of personal liberty, the person by whom…

782.05 Application to officer in another county. Whenever application for any such writ is made to any officer not residing within the county where the prisoner is detained the officer shall require proof, by oath of the party appearing or by other sufficient evidence, that there…

782.06 Writ granted without delay. The court or judge to whom such petition shall be properly presented shall grant the same without delay unless it shall appear from the petition or from the documents annexed that the party applying therefor is prohibited from prosecuting the sa…

782.07 Form of writ. (1) Such writ shall be substantially in the following form: The state of Wisconsin: To the sheriff, etc. (or A. B.): You are hereby commanded to have C. D., by you imprisoned and detained, as it is said, together with the time and cause of such imprisonment, …

782.08 Writ, when sufficient. Such writ shall not be disobeyed for any defect in form. It shall be sufficient: (1) If the person having the custody of the prisoner is designated, either by name of office, if any, or by the person’s name, or if both names are unknown or uncertain …

782.09 was inappropriate. J.V. v. Barron, 112 Wis. 2d 256, 332 N.W.2d 796 (1983). Habeas corpus is available to a petitioner to challenge a criminal complaint and to test the sufficiency of evidence for bindover. State ex rel. McCaffrey v. Shanks, 124 Wis. 2d 216, 369 N.W.2d 743 …

782.10 Writ, who may serve. Such writ can only be served by an elector of the state and shall be served as follows: (1) By delivering a copy of the same to the person to whom it is directed. (2) If such person cannot be found, by being left at the jail or other place in which the…

782.11 Petitioner, when to pay charges. When such writ is directed to any person other than an officer, it may require as a duty to be performed, in order to render the service thereof effectual, that the charges of bringing up such prisoner shall be paid by the petitioner, and i…

782.12 Service of writ, when complete. Except where service is made under s. 782.10 (3), the service of a writ of habeas corpus is not complete until the party serving the writ tenders to the custodian of the prisoner, if an officer, the fees allowed for bringing up the prisoner,…

782.13 Return to writ. Whenever a complete service of such writ shall have been made, the person upon whom it was served, having the custody of the prisoner, whether such writ be directed to the person or not, shall obey and make return to such writ and such prisoner shall be pro…

782.14 Return, what to state. The respondent shall state in the return: (1) Whether the prisoner is in the respondent’s custody or power. (2) If the prisoner is in the respondent’s custody or power the authority and true cause of such imprisonment, setting forth the same at large…

782.15 Prisoner produced, exception. The respondent shall bring the prisoner, according to the command of such writ, except in the case of sickness as provided in s. 782.29. History: 1979 c. 32 ss. 59, 92 (11); Stats. 1979 s. 782.15.

782.16 Obedience to writ compelled. If any person upon whom such writ shall have been duly served shall refuse or neglect to obey the same, within the time required, and no sufficient excuse shall be shown for such refusal or neglect the court or judge before whom such writ is re…

782.17 Attachment of sheriff. If a sheriff neglects to make return to such writ the attachment may be directed to any coroner or other person to be designated therein, who shall execute the same; and such sheriff may be committed to the jail of any county other than the sheriff’s…

782.18 Attachment may issue. In case of attachment an order may be issued to the officer or other person to whom such attachment is directed, commanding the officer or person to bring, forthwith, before the court or judge, the party for whose benefit such writ was allowed, who sh…

782.19 Return may be traversed. The prisoner may move to strike the return or may deny any of the material facts set forth in the return to the writ or allege any fact to show either that the imprisonment is unlawful or that the prisoner is entitled to a discharge, which allegati…

782.20 When party discharged. If no legal cause be shown for such imprisonment or restraint or for the continuance thereof the court or judge shall make a final order discharging such party from the custody or restraint. History: 1979 c. 32 s. 59; 1979 c. 176; Stats. 1979 s. 782.…

782.21 When remanded. The court or judge must make a final order to remand the prisoner if it shall appear that the prisoner is detained in custody either: (1) By virtue of process issued by any court or judge of the HABEAS CORPUS 782.27 United States, in a case where such court …

782.22 Discharge if in custody under process. (1) If it appear that the prisoner is in custody by virtue of civil process of any court or issued by any officer in the course of judicial proceedings before the officer such prisoner can be discharged in the following cases only: (a…

782.23 Prisoner, when bailed. If it appear that the prisoner has been legally committed for crime or if the prisoner appears, by the testimony offered with the return upon the hearing thereof, to be guilty of crime, although the commitment is irregular, the court or judge before …

782.24 Prisoner, when remanded. If the prisoner is not entitled to discharge and is not bailed the court or judge shall remand the prisoner to the custody from which taken, if the person who had custody is legally entitled to custody; if not so entitled, the prisoner shall be com…

782.25 Custody of prisoner pending proceedings. Until judgment be given upon the return the court or judge before whom the prisoner is brought may either commit the prisoner to the custody of the sheriff or place the prisoner in such care or under such custody as age and other ci…

782.26 Interested person notified. When it appears from the return to such writ that the prisoner is in custody on any process under which any other person has an interest in continuing imprisonment no order shall be made for discharge until it shall appear that the interested pe…

782.27 Notice to district attorney. When the prisoner is May 22, 2026, are designated by NOTES. (Published 5-22-26) 782.27 HABEAS CORPUS detained upon any criminal accusation no order for discharge shall be made until sufficient notice of the time and place at which such writ sha…

782.28 Transfer from circuit court commissioner. If the writ is returnable before a circuit court commissioner, either party may make a request for transfer to the court in which the matter is filed. Upon receipt of such request the circuit court commissioner shall forthwith tran…

782.29 Proceedings in absence of prisoner; appearance by attorney. When from sickness or infirmity the prisoner cannot without danger be brought before the court or judge before whom the writ is made returnable the respondent may state that fact in the return, verifying the same …

782.30 Order of discharge, how enforced, action for damages. Obedience to any final order discharging or directing the discharge of any prisoner may be enforced by the court making the order by attachment, in the manner provided for a neglect to make a return to a writ of habeas …

782.31 Nonliability of officers. No officer shall be liable for obeying any final order discharging or directing the discharge of any prisoner. History: 1979 c. 32 s. 59; Stats. 1979 s. 782.31.

782.32 Reimprisonment for same cause; when cause not same. No person who has been discharged by the final order of any court or officer upon a writ of habeas corpus issued pursuant to the provisions of this chapter shall be again imprisoned, restrained or kept in custody for the …

782.33 Warrant in lieu of writ. Whenever it shall appear by satisfactory proof that any person is held in illegal imprisonment and that there is good reason to believe that the person will be carried out of the state or suffer some irreparable injury before the person can be reli…

782.34 Order of arrest. When the proof mentioned in s. 782.33 shall also be sufficient to justify an arrest of the person having such prisoner in custody, as for a criminal offense committed in the taking or detaining of such prisoner, the warrant shall also contain an order for …

782.35 Warrant, how executed. Any officer or person to whom such warrant shall be directed shall execute the same by bringing the prisoner therein named and the person who detained the prisoner, if so commanded by the warrant, before the officer issuing the same; and thereupon th…

782.36 Proceedings for unlawful detention. If the person having such prisoner in custody shall be brought before such officer as for a criminal offense the person shall be examined, committed, bailed or discharged by such officer in like manner as in other criminal cases of the l…

782.37 Penalty for refusing papers. If any officer or other person refuses to deliver a copy of any order, warrant, process or other authority, by which the officer or other person detains any person, to anyone who demands the copy and who tenders the fees for the copy, the offic…

782.38 Reimprisoning party discharged. Any person who shall recommit, imprison or restrain of liberty or cause to be recommitted, imprisoned or restrained of liberty for the same cause except as provided in s. 782.32, any person discharged by a final order upon a writ of habeas c…

782.39 Concealment of person entitled to writ. Any person who has custody of or power over a person who is entitled to a writ of habeas corpus or for whose relief such a writ has been issued, who shall, with the intent to elude the service of such writ or to avoid the effect ther…

782.44 Prisoner brought for trial or as witness. This chapter does not restrain the power of courts to issue a writ of habeas corpus, to bring before them any prisoner for trial or as a witness. History: 1979 c. 32 s. 59; Stats. 1979 s. 782.44. The trial court in determining whet…

782.45 Witness fees, inmates of state institutions. (1) If an inmate of any public institution is brought into court in response to a writ of habeas corpus or subpoena, the institution shall be reimbursed for the time of the officer conducting the inmate and the actual and necess…

782.46 Habeas corpus not available to prisoners passing through this state. The officers of all other states, territories and countries are given the right to hold and convey all persons in their custody and charged with or convicted of crime into and through the state of Wiscons…