30-year-old prisoner dies at Waupun Correctional Institution, marking the second death since the lockdown began
A 30-year-old prisoner died last week at Waupun Correctional Institution amid the ongoing lockdown.
The Wisconsin Department of Corrections confirmed the death of Tyshun L. Lemons on Tuesday. The DOC said the cause of death is still under investigation by the Dodge County Medical Examiner's Office.
Dodge Medical Examiner PJ Schoebel said the manner of death, whether it was a suicide or homicide, was also under investigation. He estimated the investigation would take at least three months.
Lemons died on Oct. 2 and is the second prisoner death at Waupun since the lockdown began on March 29. The other death occurred in July and was ruled a suicide by authorities.
It's been more than six months since the DOC initiated "modified movement," which limits prisoners access to certain services, including in-person visits and communal gatherings. Prisoners refer to the ongoing situation as a "lockdown," in messages to the Journal Sentinel, saying they are typically locked in their cells 24 hours a day and living in inhumane conditions.
DOC spokesperson Kevin Hoffman said Tuesday that the prison remains in modified movement, "but the facility continues to assess this status on a weekly basis and has incrementally been increasing movement in areas safe to do so."
More than half of the full-time corrections officer positions remain unfilled at Waupun, which prisoners and officials alike have said is exacerbating the situation.
The DOC will investigate Lemons' death, as well as the Dodge County Sheriff's Office, per standard protocol.
Lemons was serving a 16-year prison sentence after being convicted of armed robbery and first-degree recklessly endangering safety in 2014.
Messages to Lemons' family were not immediately returned.
CORRECTION: A previous edition of this article had Lemons' age listed at 29. He was 30 when he died.
Drake Bentley can be reached at [email protected] or 414-391-5647.
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This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: 30-year-old prisoner dies at Waupun Correctional Institution