The submitted analysis argued that Scott Walker’s long record on corrections policy helped shape Wisconsin’s adult and juvenile incarceration systems. It called for closer scrutiny of that record as prison reform became an election issue in 2018.
Its central claims concerned racial disparity, the size of Wisconsin’s prison population relative to neighboring Minnesota and the growing share of state general-purpose revenue devoted to corrections. The article attributed these outcomes to policy and management decisions made during Walker’s time in the Legislature and governor’s office.
Claims examined in the original submission
- Corrections spending exceeded state support for the University of Wisconsin System from general-purpose revenue.
- Wisconsin incarcerated Black residents at a severe and nationally significant disparity.
- Management failures affected juvenile facilities, staffing and supervision.
- Sentencing and privatization policies increased prison capacity and costs.
Rising corrections costs
The article said Wisconsin’s 2017–19 budget allocated nearly $2.5 billion to prisons and corrections. It linked to the submitting organization’s materials for the budget comparison and argued that more general-purpose tax revenue went to corrections than to the University of Wisconsin System.
It also cited the Department of Corrections’ then-pending 2019–21 request, which sought an increase of more than 6 percent and would have brought total biennial spending above $2.7 billion. That was a proposed budget at publication, not a current figure.
Management and neglect
The submission pointed to reports of abuse, unsafe working conditions and inadequate oversight at the Lincoln Hills juvenile correctional facility. It cited settlements involving restrictive practices, including strip searches, extended isolation and pepper spray, as well as litigation concerning treatment and serious injuries.
It also referenced a book by a former Department of Corrections secretary describing indifference, denial and management problems within the administration. Among the allegations was that the secretary could not meet with Walker about the department budget while Walker was campaigning for president and the Lincoln Hills controversy continued.
The article further said that an independent review of Lincoln Hills had been blocked and cited reports of staffing shortages, mandatory overtime, poor working conditions and inadequate handling of workplace harassment.
A Legislative Fiscal Bureau report cited by the submission said the department lacked current address or employment information for nearly 3,000 registered sex offenders under supervision.
That number and the surrounding claims reflect the report available in 2018. Readers evaluating present conditions should consult current Department of Corrections and Legislative Fiscal Bureau records.
Sentencing, privatization and politics
The submission traced Walker’s corrections policy to his tenure in the State Assembly, where he chaired the Corrections Committee. It criticized proposals to permit some children as young as 10 to be tried in adult court for specified offenses and his support for additional prison construction.
It also examined Walker’s role in Wisconsin’s “truth in sentencing” legislation. The measure eliminated parole and required people to serve the confinement portion of a sentence in full. The article argued that corresponding sentencing revisions were not enacted, contributing to a larger prison population and higher costs.
Prison privatization was another focus. The analysis described Walker’s support for sending Wisconsin prisoners to privately operated facilities outside the state and for allowing private Wisconsin facilities to accept prisoners from other states. It cited his 1999 authorship of Assembly Bill 519.
The article cited historical reporting about a disturbance and later allegations of abuse at a privately operated Tennessee prison that housed Wisconsin prisoners. It argued that continued support for outsourcing incarceration did not adequately account for those concerns.
Pardons and the 2018 campaign
The original analysis criticized Walker’s refusal as governor to issue pardons or appoint members to a pardon advisory board. It presented the policy as an example of political risk avoidance rather than individualized review.
During the 2018 campaign, Walker accused Democratic opponents of wanting to release thousands of violent offenders. The submission characterized that claim as misleading and said it used fear of crime to oppose proposals for reducing the prison population.
Conclusion
The submitted commentary concluded that Wisconsin’s approach to incarceration reflected decades of choices about sentencing, prison construction, oversight and political messaging. It argued that Walker helped advance those choices in the Legislature and continued them as governor.
Because this is an archived advocacy article, its characterizations should be read as the submitting organization’s analysis rather than as a current assessment by Wisconsin Gazette. The historical record and linked source material provide the basis for evaluating its claims.
