Inmates can still be shackled while giving birth in Wisconsin prisons

Wisconsin prisons have been in the headlines a lot lately. The stories have exposed abhorrent conditions for inmates and documented long-festering problems. While the crisis has generated months of headlines, it hasn’t produced much will to tackle the issues.

At the beginning of this month, the New York Times and Wisconsin Watch published a joint investigation on the extreme shortage of correctional officers. The story outlined the extent of how significant the shortage is and how little had been done prior to last year, despite a decade of warning signs.

Ever since Act 10 passed, there has been an increasing exodus of correctional officers who no longer could collectively bargain. As of today, almost half of the guard jobs in Wisconsin’s prison have been unfilled.

The story goes on to highlight what the effects of this shortage has led to: shortcuts in how prison officials run facilities, two men escaped from Columbia Correctional Institution in 2020 when four out of the five guard towers were unmanned, and two of the state’s prisons have been in lockdown, or what Department of Corrections Secretary Kevin Carr called “modified movement”, for 10 months due to not enough staff to handle the number of inmates.

Rodents, lockdowns, shackles, suicides happening under state’s care

Multiple Wisconsin publications have been reporting on limitations being imposed on inmates due to the lockdowns despite Governor Tony Evers declaring in November that restrictions would be lifted. The Journal Sentinel reported last month that, “limitations on recreations, visitation, meals, showers programming and more persist without a clear end in sight”.

There has also been reports of the horrendous condition of some of the prisons are in, including a ongoing rodent problem.

All of this is also happening while an ongoing investigation and lawsuit against the DOC is playing out in the aftermath of a Waupun prison suicide, where staff allegedly failed to give the inmate his bipolar and antidepressant medications as prescribed in the months leading up to his death.

In addition to these current conditions, investigations and lawsuits, there are further conversations happening at the Capitol regarding sentencing and protocol for pregnant incarcerated women.

There are dual bills circulating in the Legislature that would end life sentences for children. Under Wisconsin statute, children as young as 10 are subject to adult treatment for first-degree intentional homicide with a life sentence without parole.

There is also a bill that would ban shackling pregnant inmates during childbirth, since that is still allowed under Wisconsin law and left up to the discretion of staff.

There are reports. There are lawsuits. There are noncommital suggestions of independent investigations. There are Senate committee questions. But, after months of journalists informing the public about the conditions incarcerated people in Wisconsin are living under, there doesn’t seem to be a lot of urgency to fix it.

Kristin Brey is the “My Take” columnist for the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.