An eastern Wisconsin state senator is calling for replacement plans for two Wisconsin prisons.
De Pere State Senator Andre Jacque says the Green Bay and Waupun Correctional Institutions are over capacity and extremely difficult to operate because of their age.
Jacque continues saying that a lot of money has been put into both correctional institutions to help get them near code, but it would cost hundreds of millions of dollars to get the prisons up to the code.
“The reality is that you could operate one facility, a smaller facility, much safer for everybody involved than these two facilities (Green Bay and Waupun),” he stated. “And it’s something that’s been called for by the non-partisan Legislative Audit Bureau, when they looked into it.”
Last week, charges were announced against nine people, including the former warden, after four inmates died at Waupun.
Jacque says it’s different for the Green Bay Correctional Institute.
“There was basically a determination by a special prosecutor that nobody should be charged simply because the facilities themselves make it impossible for correction officers to be able to adequately do their jobs.”
Jacque wants more to be done to fix issues within the prison, which could include a plan from the Wisconsin Department of Corrections or the Evers’ Administration because there are funds available for making fixes to the prisons or get ready to replace them.
Green Bay and Waupun are also on the Wisconsin Register of Historic Places.
