Chapter 301

301.35   Law enforcement officer access to department records.

301.36   General supervision and inspection by department.

301.37   County buildings; establishment, approval, inspection.

301.373   Operating loss reimbursement program.

301.38   Notification of victims and witnesses about prisoner escapes.

301.45   Sex offender registration.

301.46   Access to information concerning sex offenders.

301.47   Sex offender name changes prohibited.

301.475   Sex offenders to notify schools.

301.48   Global positioning system tracking and residency requirement for certain sex offenders.

301.49   Global positioning system tracking for persons who violate certain orders or injunctions.

301.50   Notification of intent to chaperone sex offenders.

301.001 301.001 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 with other social services. In creating the department of corrections, chs. 301 to 304, the legislature intends that the state continue to avoid sole reliance on incarceration of offenders and continue to develop, support and maintain professional community programs and placements.

301.001 History History: 1989 a. 31, 107; 1995 a. 27.

301.001 Annotation The Department of Corrections must follow its own rules. It is not harmless error for an agency to disobey its own procedural regulations. State ex rel. Anderson-El v. Cooke, 2000 WI 40, 234 Wis. 2d 626, 610 N.W.2d 821, 98-0715.

301.01 301.01 Definitions. In this chapter and chs. 302 to 304:

301.01(1) (1) “Department” means the department of corrections.

301.01(1m) (1m) “Juvenile correctional facility” has the meaning given in s. 938.02 (10p).

301.01(1n) (1n) “Juvenile correctional services” means services provided for a juvenile who is under the supervision of the department of corrections under s. 938.183, 938.34 (4h) or (7g), or 938.357 (3) or (4).

301.01(2) (2) “Prisoner” means any person who is either arrested, incarcerated, imprisoned, or otherwise detained in excess of 12 hours by any law enforcement agency of this state, except when detention is pursuant to s. 55.06 (11) (a), 2003 stats., or s. 51.15, 51.20, 51.45 (11) (b), or 55.135 or ch. 980. “Prisoner” does not include any of the following:

301.01(2)(a) (a) Any person who is serving a sentence of detention under s. 973.03 (4) unless the person is in the county jail under s. 973.03 (4) (c).

301.01(2)(b) (b) Any resident of a juvenile correctional facility or a secured residential care center for children and youth.

301.01(2)(c) (c) Any child held in custody under ss. 48.19 to 48.21.

301.01(2)(cm) (cm) Any expectant mother held in custody under ss. 48.193 to 48.213.

301.01(2)(d) (d) Any child participating in the mother-young child care program under s. 301.049.

301.01(3) (3) “Secretary” means the secretary of corrections.

301.01(3k) (3k) “Secured residential care center for children and youth” has the meaning given in s. 938.02 (15g).

301.01(4) (4) “State correctional institution” means a state prison under s. 302.01 or a juvenile correctional facility operated by the department.

301.01(5) (5) “Type 1 prison” means a state prison under s. 302.01, but excludes any institution that meets the criteria under s. 302.01 solely because of its status under s. 301.048 (4) (b).

301.01(6) (6) “Type 2 prison” means a state prison under s. 302.01 that meets the criteria under s. 302.01 solely because of its status under s. 301.048 (4) (b).

301.01 History History: 1989 a. 31, 107; 1991 a. 39; 1993 a. 479; 1995 a. 27, 77; 1997 a. 27, 292; 1999 a. 9; 2005 a. 264, 344; 2015 a. 55; 2017 a. 185; 2019 a. 8 ss. 17, 71.

301.02 301.02 Institutions governed. The department shall maintain and govern the state correctional institutions.

301.02 History History: 1989 a. 31.

301.02 Cross-reference Cross-reference: See also ch. DOC 310, Wis. adm. code.

301.025 301.025 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 the serious juvenile offender program under s. 938.538.

301.025 History History: 1995 a. 27, 77; 2003 a. 33; 2015 a. 55.

301.027 301.027 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.

301.027 History History: 1995 a. 27; 1999 a. 9; 2005 a. 344; 2019 a. 8.

301.029 301.029 Contracts requiring prisoner access to personal information.

301.029(1) (1) In this section, “financial transaction card” has the meaning given in s. 943.41 (1) (em).

301.029(2) (2) 

301.029(2)(a) (a) The department may not enter into any contract or other agreement if, in the performance of the contract or agreement, a prisoner would perform data entry or telemarketing services and have access to an individual’s financial transaction card numbers, checking or savings account numbers or social security number.

301.029(2)(b) (b) The department may not enter into any contract or other agreement if, in the performance of the contract or agreement, a prisoner would perform data entry services or telemarketing services and have access to any information that may serve to identify a minor.

301.029 History History: 1999 a. 9.

301.03 301.03 General corrections authority. The department shall:

301.03(1) (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.

301.03(2) (2) Supervise the custody and discipline of all prisoners and the maintenance of state correctional institutions and the prison industries under s. 303.01.

301.03(2g) (2g) Provide alcohol or other drug abuse assessments so that a prisoner can receive such an assessment either during his or her initial assessment and evaluation period in the state prison system or at the prison where he or she is placed after the initial assessment and evaluation period.

301.03(2m) (2m) Provide alcohol or other drug abuse treatment at each state prison except a Type 2 prison, the correctional institution authorized under s. 301.046, a minimum security correctional institution authorized under s. 301.13 or a state-local shared correctional facility established under s. 301.14.

301.03(2r) (2r) Conduct drug testing of prospective parolees or persons to be placed on extended supervision who have undergone treatment while in state prison.

301.03(3) (3) Administer parole, extended supervision, and probation matters, except that the decision to grant or deny parole to inmates shall be made by the parole commission and the decision to revoke probation, extended supervision, or parole, in cases in which there is no waiver of the right to a hearing, shall be made by the division of hearings and appeals in the department of administration. The secretary may grant special action parole releases under s. 304.02. The department shall promulgate rules to do all of the following:

301.03(3)(a) (a) Develop a system of short-term sanctions for violations of conditions of parole, probation, extended supervision, and deferred prosecution agreements that sets forth a list of sanctions to be imposed for the most common violations.

301.03(3)(b) (b) Ensure that the system of short-term sanctions developed under par. (a) does all of the following:

301.03(3)(b)1. 1. Takes into account the objective to be accomplished by imposing the sanction, considers the level of intensity necessary to achieve the objective, and considers the extent to which sanction imposition is likely to accomplish the objective.

301.03(3)(b)2. 2. Takes into account the goals of protecting the public, correcting the offender’s behavior, and holding the offender accountable.

301.03(3)(b)3. 3. Determines when revocation is the required response to the violation.

301.03(3)(b)4. 4. Provides flexibility in imposing sanctions but also provides offenders with clear and immediate consequences for violations.

301.03(3)(b)5. 5. Provides examples of high, medium, and low level sanctions and what factors to consider when determining which level of sanction to apply.

301.03(3)(b)6. 6. Determines how to reward offenders for compliance with conditions of parole, of probation, of extended supervision, or of the agreement.

301.03(3)(b)7. 7. Ensures that efforts to minimize the impact on an offender’s employment are made when applying sanctions.

301.03(3)(b)8. 8. Ensures that efforts to minimize the impact on an offender’s family are made when applying the sanctions.

301.03(3)(c) (c) Perform reviews of sanctions imposed under the system to assess disparities among sanctions, to evaluate the effectiveness of sanctions, and to monitor the impact of sanctions on the number and type of revocations for violations.

301.03(3a) (3a) Subject to all of the following, design a form to provide notice under ss. 302.117, 973.09 (4m), and 973.176 (2) of ineligibility to vote under s. 6.03 (1) (b):

301.03(3a)(a) (a) The form shall inform the person who is ineligible to vote that he or she may not vote in any election until his or her civil rights are restored.

301.03(3a)(b) (b) The form shall inform the person who is ineligible to vote when his or her civil rights are expected to be restored.

301.03(3a)(c) (c) The form shall include a place for the person to sign indicating that he or she understands that he or she may not vote in any election until his or her civil rights are restored. The form shall include a place also for a witness signature.

301.03(3a)(d) (d) The department shall retain the form, and a copy shall be given to the person.

301.03(3b) (3b) Establish regulations for persons placed on lifetime supervision under s. 939.615, supervise and provide services to persons placed on lifetime supervision under s. 939.615 and promulgate rules for the administration of matters relating to lifetime supervision under s. 939.615.

301.03(3c) (3c) If requested by the department of health services, contract with that department to supervise and provide services to persons who are conditionally transferred or discharged under s. 51.37 (9), conditionally released under s. 971.17 (3), or placed on supervised release under s. 980.06 (2), 1997 stats., or s. 980.08.

301.03(3d) (3d) If requested by the department of health services, contract with that department to provide a secure mental health unit or facility under s. 980.065 (2).

301.03(3g) (3g) Provide treatment for alcoholics and intoxicated persons on parole or extended supervision.

301.03(3m) (3m) Monitor compliance with deferred prosecution agreements under s. 971.39.

301.03(3r) (3r) If any restitution ordered under s. 973.20 (1r) remains unpaid at the time that a person’s probation or sentence expires, or he or she is discharged by the department, give to the person upon release, or send to the person at his or her last-known address, written notification that a civil judgment may be issued against the person for the unpaid restitution.

301.03(4) (4) If requested by the governor, make recommendations as to pardons or commutations of sentence.

301.03(5) (5) Examine all institutions authorized by law to receive and detain witnesses, prisoners or convicted persons, and inquire into all matters relating to their management, including the management of witnesses, prisoners or convicted persons, and the condition of buildings and grounds and other property connected with the institutions.

301.03(5d) (5d) Ensure that the superintendent or other person in charge of each state correctional institution designates a person to meet with correctional officers employed at the institution to discuss potential or ongoing safety concerns at the institution and to develop solutions to the concerns.

301.03(5f) (5f) Require the superintendent or other person in charge of each state correctional institution to make a record of any alleged violation of s. 940.20 (1) by a prisoner of the institution against a correctional officer or a teacher who is employed by the department. The department shall forward all records under this subsection to the law enforcement agency with jurisdiction over the institution.

301.03(5h) (5h) Develop, with the assistance of the division of personnel management in the department of administration, a policy for staff assignments that shall consider an employee’s seniority when assigning shifts.

301.03(6) (6) Direct the correctional psychiatric service in all state correctional institutions.

301.03(6m) (6m) On or before January 30 of each year, after consultation with the department of health services, report to the joint committee on finance and to the chief clerk of each house of the legislature, for distribution to the appropriate standing committees under s. 13.172 (3), on all of the following:

301.03(6m)(a) (a) The number of prisoners transferred to a mental health institute under s. 51.20 (13) (a) 4. and their average length of stay and the number of prisoners transferred to a mental health institute on a voluntary basis and their average length of stay.

301.03(6m)(b) (b) The number of prisoners being treated with psychotropic drugs on both a voluntary and involuntary basis and the types of drugs being used.

301.03(6m)(c) (c) A description of the mental health services available to prisoners on both a voluntary and involuntary basis.

301.03(6r) (6r) By January 30 of each year, submit a report to the joint committee on finance and to the chief clerk of each house of the legislature, for distribution to the appropriate standing committees under s. 13.172 (3), on the number of prisoners that the department considers to be violent and the total number of prisoners.

301.03(6t) (6t) On or before January 1 of each year, submit a report to the joint committee on finance and to the chief clerk of each house of the legislature on the use of overtime in the state correctional institutions, identifying the state correctional institution, and, for each correctional institution, the amount and costs of overtime and the reason for the overtime at that correctional institution.

301.03(7) (7) Direct the educational programs, including an adult basic education program, in all state correctional institutions. The department shall test the reading ability of each prisoner.

301.03(7m) (7m) Supervise criminal defendants accepted into the custody of the department under s. 969.02 (3) (a) or 969.03 (1) (a). The department shall charge the county that is prosecuting the defendant a fee for providing this supervision. The department shall set the fee by rule.

301.03(9) (9) Supervise all persons placed in a state prison under s. 938.183 and all persons placed under the supervision of the department by the court under ch. 938.