Waupun Correctional Institution has been on partial lockdown for a month. Here's what to know.

The Waupun Correctional Institution has been on partial lockdown for more than a month and officials are not willing to say when it will end.

This partial lockdown means no visitors and very little time outside of the cell for inmates, but is not a complete lockdown because inmates are able to communicate with the outside world.

There are concerns about how and when it will end. Those concerns are unsettling to prisoners and their family members, who worry that placing restrictions on inmates for more than a month will result in more violent behavior when they are lifted.

The situation has been made worse by severe staffing shortages and inmates have expressed concerns about being fed low-quality food and dealing with inhumane conditions like human waste and water in their cells.

Here's what to know.

When did the lockdown start?

The prison went into partial lockdown, or what it calls "modified movement," on March 29.

Why did the prison go on lockdown?

It’s unclear exactly why the prison went into the partial lockdown. John Beard, a spokesperson for the state Department of Corrections, said at the end of March that “this action was taken in response to some of the institution population breaking rules that are in place to assure everyone’s safety.”

Beard said in late April that the prison was still in modified movement because “some people in our care at Waupun Correctional continue to threaten disruption of the facility, as well as assaultive behavior.”

It’s unclear if it was one specific incident or a series of incidents, but many inmates, their family members, and a correctional officer have told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel that there have been death threats to staff at Waupun.

Inmates and correctional officers asked that their names not be used citing safety concerns.

What is the typical protocol for lockdown?

Now, with the prison under modified operations, inmates receive fewer privileges compared to normal operations, like visitors and communal time.

Beard said inmates are receiving three meals a day and can order from the canteen menu, which gets delivered once a week. A few inmates told the Journal Sentinel they are concerned about the quality of the food, sometimes being served a peanut butter and jelly, or bologna sandwich as the main course.

Visitors are currently not allowed during modified movement, but inmates are still allowed to make phone calls, Beard said. Family members are growing frustrated as they’d like to see their relatives and get a sense of their well-being, especially those who were housed at Waupun during the COVID-19 pandemic when visitors were greatly curtailed.

Inmates who have been diagnosed with mental illness are receiving their medication, according to Beard. The Department of Justice says more than a third of people in U.S. prisons have been diagnosed with mental illness, while the American Psychological Association estimates more than half of state prisoners in the U.S. have cited mental health concerns.

What are the concerns of inmates and their family members?

Many family members raised concerns about the frequency of showers inmates are receiving. Beard said that inmates are receiving a shower only once a week, but said that practice is routine. At most, inmates would receive maybe one more shower during the week during normal procedures, he said. Beard added that inmates are provided soap and other hygiene items, and can “clean up” in their cells.

A few inmates have called the conditions inhumane since they are in close proximity with other inmates all day and say it will only get worse as the weather gets warmer, being that the over 170-year-old prison’s cell halls have no air conditioning. “A majority of the population are living two to a cell” with a bunk, Beard said.

In recent days, inmates' family members said that some cell halls were experiencing plumbing issues resulting in human waste and water in their cells. Beard acknowledged a plumbing issue, but said it was started from people flushing things down the toilets. “These backups are addressed when they become known,” Beard said.

Due to being under modified movement, there are no large gatherings taking place inside the prison, Beard said. The conditions have family members concerned. “You can’t cage up someone for that long and not expect a reaction,” a mother of an inmate told the Journal Sentinel.

Has there been a lockdown or riot before?

In 1983, dozens of inmates took control of parts of the prison, taking prison staff hostage. The incident ended peacefully but raised the prospect of inmates taking control of a facility just three blocks off the main road in downtown Waupun.

The full lockdown following the riot lasted just four days.

A correctional officer said it is certainly the case that officials feel they needed to place the prison in modified movement for a month now because it is one of the only solutions when there isn’t enough staff available to ensure everyone’s safety.

What is staffing like at Waupun?

The DOC has acknowledged its lack of staffing and is actively recruiting more officers.

The prison uses a supplemental staffing plan in which 22 correctional officers from other facilities travel to Waupun to help staff the prison, in addition to the normal staff. These 22 staff members live near the prison for two weeks and then trade out with a different group.

The 22-person supplemental plan has minimal effect, however, as the prison, under normal operations, would have 286 correctional officers and correctional sergeants. Including the supplemental staff in the count results in the prison currently having 125 vacancies, leading to a vacancy rate of nearly 45%.

According to a correctional officer, the lack of staff results in slower response times during critical incidents, putting everyone’s safety at risk. This officer fears the worst once the lockdown is lifted.

Who are the inmates at Waupun?

Waupun Correctional Institution is a maximum-security prison. Many of the prisoners received lengthy sentences for their convictions. Nearly half of the inmates have five years or more remaining. Nearly 20% have been sentenced to life in prison. And, at least 90% of inmates have been convicted of a violent offense.

There are instances when low-level offenders are transferred to Waupun due to aggressive behavior at a different facility. Roughly 20% have a year or less remaining in their sentence.

There are instances where someone convicted in another state is serving time at Waupun, but for the most part, inmates at Waupun were convicted in Wisconsin courts.

Nearly 60% of inmates are Black, roughly 36% are white, and a little more than 11% are Hispanic, according to the DOC.

When will the lockdown end?

It’s unclear when normal operations will resume. Beard said, “normal operations resume when they can be resumed in a manner that ensures the safety of staff and those in our care.”

Contact Drake Bentley at (414) 391-5647 or [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter at @DrakeBentleyMJS. 

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This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Waupun Correctional Institution prison lockdown passes one month mark