Chapter 302

302.336(2) (2) Prisoners confined in the county jail under sub. (1) are in the legal custody of the county sheriff or other keeper of the jail. The sheriff or other keeper is legally responsible for any such prisoner’s confinement; maintenance; care, including medical and hospital care; release prior to an initial appearance in court; and the initial appearance before the circuit court or the initial appearance before a municipal court at a location within the county jail.

302.336(3) (3) Except as provided in sub. (4) and ss. 302.33 (2) and 302.38, a county under sub. (1) is solely responsible for:

302.336(3)(a) (a) The costs of operating and maintaining the county jail and maintaining the prisoners in the county jail.

302.336(3)(b) (b) The costs of carrying out its legal responsibilities under sub. (2).

302.336(4) (4) An intergovernmental cooperation agreement under s. 66.0301 between a city and a county under sub. (1) may provide for the city to reimburse the county for its cost of custody at the initial appearance before a municipal court located within the county jail for prisoners who are in custody exclusively for violation of a municipal ordinance.

302.336 History History: 1989 a. 261; 1989 a. 359 s. 200; Stats. 1989 s. 302.336; 1995 a. 43; 1999 a. 150 s. 672; 2017 a. 207 s. 5.

302.34 302.34 Use of jail of another county. Courts, judges and officers of any county having no jail and no cooperative agreement under s. 302.44 may sentence, commit or deliver any person to the jail of any other county as if that jail existed in their own county. The sheriff of the other county shall receive and keep the prisoner in all respects as if committed from his or her county. The cost of the keep shall be paid by the county from which the prisoner was sentenced, committed or delivered.

302.34 History History: 1983 a. 110; 1989 a. 31 s. 1649; Stats. 1989 s. 302.34.

302.34 Cross-reference Cross-reference: See s. 973.03 (1) for similar provision.

302.35 302.35 Removal of prisoners in emergency. In an emergency and for the safety of prisoners in any jail, the sheriff or other keeper may remove them to a place of safety and there confine them so long as necessary. If any county jail is destroyed or is insecure for keeping prisoners, the sheriff may remove them to some other county jail, where they shall be received and kept as if committed thereto, but at the expense of the county from which they were removed. An endorsement on the commitment of a prisoner, made by the sheriff in charge of such prisoner, directed to the sheriff of another county, shall be authority for the latter to hold the prisoner.

302.35 History History: 1989 a. 31 s. 1650; Stats. 1989 s. 302.35.

302.36 302.36 Classification of prisoners. The sheriff, jailer, or keeper of a jail shall establish a prisoner classification system to determine prisoner housing assignments, how to supervise and provide services and programs to a prisoner, and what services and programs to provide a prisoner. The prisoner classification system shall be based on objective criteria, including a prisoner’s criminal offense record and gender, information relating to the current offense for which the prisoner is in jail, the prisoner’s history of behavior in jail, the prisoner’s medical and mental health condition, and any other factor the sheriff, jailer, or keeper of a jail considers necessary to provide for the protection of prisoners, staff, and the general public.

302.36 History History: 1977 c. 7; 1983 a. 185; 1989 a. 31 s. 1651; Stats. 1989 s. 302.36; 1995 a. 201; 2005 a. 295.

302.36 Cross-reference Cross-reference: See also ch. DOC 311, Wis. adm. code.

302.36 Annotation This section does not require sheriffs to include any feature in the classification system that can or must be used to disregard court orders for Huber release. State ex rel. Coogan v. Michek, 2020 WI App 37, 392 Wis. 2d 885, 945 N.W.2d 752, 18-2350.

302.365 302.365 Jail and house of correction program standards.

302.365(1) (1) Standards. The department shall establish, by rule, program standards for jails and houses of correction. The standards shall require all of the following:

302.365(1)(a) (a) Policy and procedure manual. That the sheriff or other keeper of a jail or house of correction develop a written policy and procedure manual for the operation of the jail or house of correction which reflects the jail’s or house of correction’s physical characteristics, the number and types of prisoners in the jail or house of correction and the availability of outside resources to the jail or house of correction. The manual shall include all of the following:

302.365(1)(a)1. 1. Policies and procedures for screening prisoners for medical illnesses or disabilities, mental illnesses, developmental disabilities and alcohol or other drug abuse problems. The rules shall establish functional objectives for screening but may not require jails or houses of correction to use only one particular method to meet the objectives. The policies and procedures shall include the use of outside resources, such as county mental health staff or hospital resources, and shall include agreements with these resources, as appropriate, to ensure adequate services to prisoners identified as needing services.

302.365(1)(a)2. 2. Identification of the facilities and programs, including outside facilities and programs, that will be provided for long-term prisoners, including prisoners who are charged with a crime and detained prior to trial and prisoners who are sentenced to jail or a house of correction. The rules shall establish functional objectives for programs for these prisoners but may not require counties to use only one particular method of providing programs for these prisoners.

302.365(1)(a)3. 3. Policies and procedures for providing educational programming for prisoners under 18 years of age. The rules shall establish functional objectives for educational programming for those prisoners, but may not require jails or houses of correction to use only one particular method to meet the objectives.

302.365(1)(b) (b) Crisis intervention services. That the sheriff or other keeper of the jail or house of correction ensure that the jail or house of correction has available emergency services for crisis intervention for prisoners with medical illnesses or disabilities, mental illnesses, developmental disabilities or alcohol or other drug abuse problems.

302.365(2) (2) Approval of policy and procedure manual. The sheriff or other keeper of a jail or house of correction shall submit, no later than December 31, 1990, a policy and procedure manual developed under sub. (1) (a) to the department for approval, as provided by the department by rule. Thereafter, the sheriff or other keeper of a jail or house of correction shall submit any substantive changes to the manual to the department for approval, as provided by the department by rule. The department shall approve or disapprove the manual or any changes made in the manual, in writing, within 90 days after submission of the manual. If the department disapproves the manual or any changes to a manual, it shall include in the written disapproval a statement of the reasons for the disapproval. Within 60 days after disapproval, the sheriff or other keeper of the jail or house of correction shall modify the manual and resubmit it to the department for approval.

302.365(3) (3) Consultation in rule development. In developing rules under this section, the department shall consult with the department of justice.

302.365 History History: 1987 a. 394; 1989 a. 31 s. 1652; Stats. 1989 s. 302.365; 1989 a. 92; 1995 a. 352.

302.365 Note NOTE: 1987 Wis. Act 394, section 15, which created this section, contains explanatory notes.

302.37 302.37 Maintenance of jail and care of prisoners.

302.37(1) (1) 

302.37(1)(a) (a) The sheriff or other keeper of a jail shall constantly keep it clean and in a healthful condition and pay strict attention to the personal cleanliness of the prisoners and shall cause the clothing of each prisoner to be properly laundered. The sheriff or keeper shall furnish each prisoner with clean water, towels and bedding. The sheriff or keeper shall serve each prisoner 3 times daily with enough well-cooked, wholesome food. The county board shall prescribe an adequate diet for the prisoners in the county jail.

302.37(1)(b) (b) The keeper of a lockup facility shall constantly keep it clean and in a healthful condition and pay strict attention to the personal cleanliness of the prisoners. The keeper shall serve each prisoner with clean water, towels and food.

302.37(2) (2) Except as provided in s. 302.375 (2m), neither the sheriff or other keeper of any jail nor any other person shall give, sell or deliver to any prisoner for any cause whatever any alcohol beverages unless a physician certifies in writing that the health of the prisoner requires it, in which case the prisoner may be allowed the quantity prescribed.

302.37(3) (3) 

302.37(3)(a) (a) The county or municipality shall furnish its jail with necessary bedding, clothing, toilet facilities, light and heat for prisoners.

302.37(3)(b) (b) The owner of a lockup facility shall furnish toilet facilities, light and heat for prisoners.

302.37(4) (4) The sheriff or other keeper of a jail may use without compensation the labor of any prisoner sentenced to actual confinement in the county jail or, with the prisoner’s consent, any other prisoner in the maintaining of and the housekeeping of the jail, including the property on which it stands. Any prisoner who escapes while working on the grounds outside the jail enclosure shall be punished as provided in s. 946.42.

302.37 History History: 1979 c. 34; 1981 c. 79 s. 17; 1985 a. 167; 1989 a. 31 s. 1653; Stats. 1989 s. 302.37; 1991 a. 316; 1993 a. 213; 2005 a. 67.

302.372 302.372 Prisoner reimbursement to a county.

302.372(1) (1) Definitions. In this section:

302.372(1)(a) (a) “Jail” includes a house of correction, Huber facility under s. 303.09 or a work camp under s. 303.10.

302.372(1)(b) (b) “Jailer” includes a sheriff, superintendent or other keeper of a jail.

302.372(2) (2) Reimbursement of expenses; county option.

302.372(2)(a) (a) Except as provided in pars. (c) and (d), a county may seek reimbursement for any expenses incurred by the county in relation to the crime for which a person was sentenced to a county jail, or for which the person was placed on probation and confined in jail, as follows:

302.372(2)(a)1. 1. From each person who is or was a prisoner, not more than the actual per-day cost of maintaining that prisoner, as set by the county board by ordinance, for the entire period of time that the person is or was confined in the jail, including any period of pretrial detention.

302.372(2)(a)2. 2. To investigate the financial status of the person.

302.372(2)(a)3. 3. Any other expenses incurred by the county in order to collect payments under this section.

302.372(2)(b) (b) Before seeking any reimbursement under this section, the county shall provide a form to be used for determining the financial status of prisoners. The form shall provide for obtaining the social security number of the prisoner, the age and marital status of a prisoner, the number and ages of children of a prisoner, the number and ages of other dependents of a prisoner, the income of a prisoner, type and value of real estate owned by a prisoner, type and value of personal property owned by a prisoner, the prisoner’s cash and financial institution accounts, type and value of the prisoner’s investments, pensions and annuities and any other personalty of significant cash value owned by a prisoner. The county shall use the form whenever investigating the financial status of prisoners. The information on a completed form is confidential and not open to public inspection or copying under s. 19.35 (1), except that the county shall provide the name and address of an individual, the name and address of the individual’s employer and financial information related to the individual from a form completed under this paragraph in response to a request for information under s. 49.22 (2m) made by the department of children and families or a county child support agency under s. 59.53 (5).

302.372(2)(c) (c) This section applies to expenses incurred on or after May 9, 1996.

302.372(2)(d) (d) The jailer or the county shall choose, for each prisoner, whether to seek reimbursement under this section or as otherwise provided in chs. 301 to 303, but may not collect for the same expenses twice. The jailer or the county may choose to seek reimbursement for the expenses under sub. (2) (a) using the method under sub. (5), using the method under sub. (6), or certifying the expenses as a debt pursuant to s. 71.935 (2) under sub. (7), or a combination of methods, but may not seek reimbursement for the same expenses twice.

302.372(3) (3) List of prisoners; information; reports. Upon request of the district attorney or the corporation counsel for the county, the jailer shall provide the district attorney or corporation counsel with a list containing the name of each sentenced prisoner or prisoner confined as a condition of probation, the term of sentence or confinement, and the date of admission, together with information regarding the financial status of each prisoner to enable the county to obtain reimbursement under this section.

302.372(4) (4) Prisoner cooperation. A prisoner in a jail shall cooperate with the county in seeking reimbursement under this section for expenses incurred by the county for that prisoner. A prisoner who intentionally refuses to cooperate under this subsection may not earn good time credit under s. 302.43 or diminution of sentence under s. 303.19 (3). If the prisoner is confined as a condition of probation, refusal to cooperate is a ground for revocation of probation.

302.372(5) (5) Charge to obtain reimbursement. The jailer may charge a prisoner for the expenses under sub. (2) (a) while he or she is a prisoner. If the jailer maintains an institutional account for a prisoner’s use for payment for items from canteen, vending or similar services, the jailer may make deductions from the account to pay for the expenses under sub. (2) (a). Any money collected under this subsection shall be deposited in the county treasury.

302.372(6) (6) Action to obtain reimbursement.

302.372(6)(a) (a) Except as provided in par. (am) or sub. (7), within 12 months after the release of a prisoner from jail, the county where the jail is located shall commence a civil action in circuit court to obtain a judgment for the expenses under sub. (2) (a) or be barred. The jailer shall provide any assistance that the county requests related to an action under this subsection.

302.372(6)(am) (am) Except as provided in sub. (7), within 24 months after the release of a prisoner from jail, the county where the jail is located shall commence a civil action in circuit court to obtain a judgment for the medical expenses associated with the prisoner under sub. (2) (a) or be barred. The jailer shall provide any assistance that the county requests related to an action under this subsection.

302.372(6)(b) (b) An action commenced under this subsection shall be commenced in the county where the jail is located or in the county where the defendant resides.

302.372(6)(c) (c) The complaint in an action commenced under this subsection shall include the date and place of the sentence, the length of time of the sentence, the length of time actually served in the jail and the amount of expenses incurred by the county under sub. (2) (a).

302.372(6)(d) (d) Before entering a judgment for the county, the court shall consider any legal obligations of the defendant for support or maintenance under ch. 767 and any moral obligation of the defendant to support dependents and may reduce the amount of the judgment entered for the county based on those obligations.

302.372(6)(e) (e) Any money obtained as the result of an action commenced under this subsection shall be deposited in the county treasury.

302.372(7) (7) Debt certification to obtain reimbursement.

302.372(7)(a) (a) Except as provided in par. (b), the county where the jail is located may obtain reimbursement by proceeding under s. 71.935 and certifying as a debt pursuant to s. 71.935 (2), within 12 months after the release of a prisoner from jail, the amount of expenses incurred by the county under sub. (2) (a). Any money obtained as the result of an action commenced under this subsection shall be deposited in the county treasury.

302.372(7)(b) (b) The county where the jail is located may obtain reimbursement by proceeding under s. 71.935 and certifying as a debt pursuant to s. 71.935 (2), within 24 months after the release of a prisoner from jail, the amount of medical expenses associated with the prisoner and incurred by the county under sub. (2) (a). Any money obtained as the result of an action commenced under this subsection shall be deposited in the county treasury.

302.372 History History: 1995 a. 281; 1997 a. 191; 1999 a. 32; 2007 a. 20; 2013 a. 315.

302.373 302.373 Prisoner reimbursement to municipality.

302.373(1) (1) In this section:

302.373(1)(a) (a) “Jail” means a county jail, a rehabilitation facility established by s. 59.53 (8), or a county house of correction under s. 303.16.

302.373(1)(b) (b) “Prisoner” means a person who is incarcerated in a jail by court order under s. 800.095 (1) (b).

302.373(2) (2) 

302.373(2)(a) (a) Except as provided in par. (b), a city, village, or town may seek reimbursement from the prisoner for the amount paid to a county under s. 800.095 (1) (d) for the expenses incurred by the county to incarcerate the prisoner.

302.373(2)(b) (b) This section applies to expenses incurred after June 3, 2003.

302.373(3) (3) Within 12 months after the release of a prisoner from jail, the city, village, or town shall commence a civil action in circuit court to obtain a judgment for the amount paid to the county under sub. (2) or be barred.

302.373(4) (4) Before entering a judgment in an action under sub. (3) for a city, village, or town, the court shall consider any legal obligations of the defendant for support or maintenance under ch. 767 and any moral obligation of the defendant to support dependents and may reduce the amount of the judgment entered for the city, village, or town based on those obligations.

302.373 History History: 2003 a. 28; 2009 a. 402.

302.375 302.375 Restrictions on liquor and dangerous drugs; placement of prisoners.

302.375(1g) (1g) In this section:

302.375(1g)(a) (a) “Controlled substance” has the meaning given in s. 961.01 (4).

302.375(1g)(am) (am) “Controlled substance analog” has the meaning given in s. 961.01 (4m).

302.375(1g)(b) (b) “Precinct” means a place where any activity is conducted by the prison, jail or house of correction.

302.375(1m) (1m) Except as provided in sub. (2m), any sheriff, jailer or keeper of any prison, jail or house of correction or any other person who does any of the following with respect to a prisoner within the precincts of any prison, jail or house of correction shall be fined not more than $10,000 or imprisoned not more than 9 months or both:

302.375(1m)(a) (a) Sells, gives or delivers any intoxicating liquor to the prisoner.

302.375(1m)(b) (b) Willfully permits a prisoner to have any controlled substance, controlled substance analog or intoxicating liquor.

302.375(1m)(c) (c) Has within his or her possession in the prison, jail or house of correction any intoxicating liquor, with intent to sell, give or deliver the liquor to the prisoner.

302.375(2) (2) Except as provided in sub. (2m), any prisoner who uses intoxicating liquor in violation of s. 302.37 (2) shall be fined not more than $10,000 or imprisoned for not more than 9 months or both.

302.375(2m) (2m) A member of the clergy may possess no more than 2 ounces of wine in a prison, jail, or house of correction if he or she intends to use it in a religious service. A member of the clergy may give or deliver a reasonable amount of wine to an inmate and an inmate may consume that wine as part of a religious service. The department is not required to purchase or store wine for an inmate, a chaplain, or any other member of the clergy who is acting under this subsection.

302.375(3) (3) 

302.375(3)(a) (a) Any sheriff, jailer or keeper of any prison, jail or house of correction or any other person who places, keeps together or knowingly permits to be kept together prisoners of different sexes within the precincts of any prison, jail or house of correction shall be fined not more than $500 or imprisoned not more than 6 months or both.

302.375(3)(b) (b) Notwithstanding par. (a), the sheriff, jailer or keeper may permit prisoners of different sexes to participate together in treatment or in educational, vocational, religious or athletic activities or to eat together, under such supervision as the sheriff, jailer or keeper deems necessary.

302.375 History History: 1977 c. 337; 1979 c. 116; 1983 a. 185; 1989 a. 31 s. 1654; Stats. 1989 s. 302.375; 1995 a. 448; 2001 a. 103; 2005 a. 67; 2021 a. 240 s. 30.

302.38 302.38 Medical care of prisoners.

302.38(1) (1) If a prisoner needs medical or hospital care or is intoxicated or incapacitated by alcohol or another drug the sheriff, superintendent or other keeper of the jail or house of correction shall provide appropriate care or treatment and may transfer the prisoner to a hospital or to an approved treatment facility under s. 51.45 (2) (b) and (c), making provision for the security of the prisoner. The sheriff, superintendent or other keeper may provide appropriate care or treatment under this subsection for a prisoner under 18 years of age and may transfer a prisoner under 18 years of age under this subsection without obtaining the consent of the prisoner’s parent, guardian or legal custodian. The sheriff, superintendent or other keeper may charge a prisoner for the costs of providing medical care to the prisoner while he or she is in the jail or house of correction. If the sheriff or other keeper maintains a personal money account for an inmate’s use for payment for items from canteen, vending or similar services, the sheriff or other keeper may make deductions from the account to pay for the charges under this subsection.