I recently visited the Wisconsin Secure Program Facility in Boscobel to celebrate their 25-year anniversary. During my visit I heard great news about the improvement in staffing levels over the last year. 

This is the fourth installment of a series of columns called “Whatever Happened To…”? My goal is to provide a recap and update on an idea, bill, or project that I worked on in the past. The nature of the legislative cycle often encourages us to finish working on ideas and move on. But I like to follow-up and confirm that the projects, bills, and ideas I advance are accomplishing our goals. This column is one way to share this follow-up with you.

When we started work on our state budget at the beginning of the 2023-24 legislative session, one of the most pressing concerns I heard about was the chronic understaffing and high vacancy rates at many Wisconsin state prisons. At the time, the vacancy rate for correctional officers across Wisconsin state prisons exceeded 40%! Wisconsin Secure Program Facility in Boscobel had a 50% vacancy rate, one of the highest in the state, and more than 50 unfilled jobs.

When vacancy rates are that high, those who do show up to work are forced to pick up extra shifts, sometimes working 16-hour shifts multiple times a week. Those extra shifts add up to big costs to taxpayers. In the 12 months before the budget was passed, the Department of Corrections (DOC) paid out more than $87 million in overtime pay.

After meeting with officials at the prison in Boscobel and across the state during the budget process, my colleagues on the Joint Committee on Finance (JFC) and I voted to increase the starting wages for those working security positions at DOC to $33 per hour. Additionally, we added extra benefits for those who work at medium and maximum-security prisons and prisons with high vacancy rates.

As a result of our work, the statewide vacancy rate now sits at approximately 12% and nearly 1,000 open correctional officer jobs have been filled. The number of graduates coming out of DOC’s training program have increased. The February 2024 graduating class was the largest since 1984.

I am especially glad to see some of the greatest impact happening close to home. Boscobel’s Wisconsin Secure Program Facility, which faced a vacancy rate of 50% has fallen to just 4%. Oakhill Correctional Institution in Oregon saw their vacancy rate fall from 32% to 5%. Prairie du Chien Correctional Institution’s vacancy rate has fallen from a peak of 27% to 11%.

It is clear that our investment in Wisconsin’s correctional officers is paying off, and I am proud to see the positive impact of JFC’s work. These pay raises have been an important part of easing DOC’s vacancy problem. While there is still more work to do on this issue, we are moving in the right direction.

As always, if you need assistance with any state-related matters, please call our team at the State Capitol — 608-266-0703 — or email me — Sen.Marklein@legis.wisconsin.gov. My team is ready, and willing, to help navigate your state government, clear obstacles, and receive your input.

— Sen. Howard Marklein represents Wisconsin’s 17th Senate District.