Wisconsin Inmate Records

In Wisconsin, each prison/jail authority responsible for correctional facilities administration also keeps records of inmates incarcerated in those facilities. According to reports, annually, the state prison system incarcerates about 20,873 in state-operated prisons, an estimated 1,500 in federal prisons, and around 12,000 in local jails. Wisconsin has an incarceration rate of 311 per 100,000 residents (about 17,233 males and 1,129 females), lower than the yearly national average of 355 per 100,000 total population.

Inmate records kept by relevant government agencies in Wisconsin at the local, federal, or state levels typically include the following information or details:

• Personal Information of Inmates - This includes their full name, date of birth, aliases, nationality or race, and sex. It may also include physical descriptions such as height, eye color, scar, hair color, and tattoos.
• Court Records - Court records in an inmate record include case numbers, court dates, trial details, fines, judgments, and court orders.
• Arrest Details - These include information about the arresting agency, the arrest warrant, the location of the arrest, charges, and the date and time of the arrest.
• Incarceration Information - This shows the inmate's incarceration status, mandatory release/extended supervision date, parole eligibility date, facility of confinement, and maximum discharge date.
• Movement - This shows an inmate's movement between correctional facilities and between their facility and the court. It typically includes the dates of movements, the type of movement, and the reporting location.

Are Inmate Records Public in Wisconsin?

Under Wisconsin law, as stipulated in Section 19.35 of the state's Statutes, everyone has a right to inspect or copy any record, including inmate records, maintained by any government agency. However, access to some inmate records and information contained in inmate records may be restricted under certain circumstances, especially if the legal custodian has strong grounds to deny public access.

The public's right to inspect or copy Wisconsin inmate records does not apply to any record containing personally identifiable information that is gathered or kept in connection with an investigation or complaint. Similarly, sealed or expunged inmate records in the state are typically exempt from public disclosure.

What Agencies Are Responsible for Inmate Records in Wisconsin?

Some of the key agencies responsible for managing correctional facilities and keeping inmate records in Wisconsin include the following:

• The State of Wisconsin Department of Corrections (DOC) - All inmates housed in state-run prisons are under the supervision of the Wisconsin Department of Corrections (DOC). The DOC offers inmates education, treatment, and programming that enables them to reintegrate seamlessly back into the community upon release. Most offenders incarcerated in Wisconsin state prisons are convicted felons. The state's DOC operates several correctional facilities, including 19 adult institutions, 14 correctional centers, and three women's corrections centers. It is responsible for maintaining the records of all inmates under its supervision.
• County Sheriff's Offices - The local jails in Washington are supervised by the county sheriff's offices, whose responsibilities also include keeping records of inmates incarcerated in those jails. The state has a total of 74 county jails across its 72 counties, and each of these facilities houses offenders awaiting transfer to the state prison system, pre-trial detainees, and those outrightly sentenced to serve time for about one year.
• Police Departments - Even though local police departments in Wisconsin do not have facilities that house sentenced offenders, they keep records of arrests made in their jurisdiction, some of which lead to conviction and sentencing to prison/jail. These records are an important part of inmate records. Hence, rather than contacting other relevant agencies, anyone requiring an inmate's arrest record may look up the police repository to obtain it.
• Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) - The Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) operates only one correctional facility in Wisconsin. It is responsible for the facility administration, including keeping records of all individuals housed in the facility for violating federal laws in the state.

How To Search for an Inmate's Information in Wisconsin

When looking to search an inmate's information in Wisconsin, the first thing to do is to determine if the inmate is housed in a state, federal, or local correctional facility in the state.

Find an Inmate in Wisconsin State Prisons

The state's Department of Corrections makes information regarding offenders sentenced to incarceration in state-run prisons publicly available through its Offender Locator. To find information regarding an inmate using the DOC Offender Locator, enter the inmate's name or DOC number as the search criterion in the appropriate field, provide other parameters like the inmate's race, birth year, and age range to narrow the search, and then click the search button. The search result will typically include the inmate's full name, mugshot, race, birth year, incarceration status, DOC ID number, movement, court cases, and other personal information.

While the Offender Locator can provide ample information about inmates housed in Wisconsin state prisons, it is possible to get more detailed records regarding these inmates by visiting the prison where they are held physically. With information such as an inmate's name, DOC ID, and date of birth, the record custodian will be able to locate an inmate's file during the visit and furnish the requester with the inmate's detailed records.

Find an Inmate in Local Jail

Finding information regarding an inmate in one of Wisconsin's local jails is made easy by online inmate search tools offered by most county sheriff's offices in the state. These tools are usually found on the websites of the county sheriff's offices in charge of local jail facilities administration. In most cases, users can find an inmate through these resources by their name, gender, date of birth, and the unique inmate ID assigned to the offender whose information they seek.

Local jails in Wisconsin are also open to providing information about inmates held in their facilities to individuals who make such requests in person. Typically, it is advised to visit a local jail where an inmate is incarcerated when looking to retrieve detailed information about them.

Find an Inmate in Federal Prison

To find information about inmates housed in Oxford FCI, the only federal prison in Wisconsin, interested persons may use the BOP Inmate Locator. The Inmate Locator has information about all inmates incarcerated in Oxford FCI and other federal prisons from 1982 to date, which interested persons can search using inmates' names or BOP register numbers. A typical result from this search includes an inmate's full name, incarceration status, release date, race, age, and registration number.

Alternatively, interested persons may find detailed information about individuals incarcerated in Oxford FCI by visiting the correctional facility at:

How Can I Access Old Inmate Records?

Old inmate records in Wisconsin may not be available on the inmate locators provided by the prison/jail authorities in the state. They largely hold information regarding inmates currently housed within their facilities. Anyone who wishes to find a former inmate record in the state may begin their search by contacting the Library and Archives Division of the Wisconsin Historical Society at (608) 264-6535 or by email. They should inquire whether the inmate records they seek are available in the Archives.

Furthermore, third-party sites like Wisconsinpublicrecords.us aggregate inmate records from all correctional facilities in the state, which may be accessed by interested persons at a nominal fee. If the old inmate whose record is sought was incarcerated in Wisconsin's federal prisons, the National Archives may have information about them. Alternatively, interested persons may find records of such inmates by submitting a FOIA request to the Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) by mail or email. However, this may come at a fee.

If a person needs detailed information about a former inmate incarcerated within the Wisconsin prison system, they should consider visiting the correctional facility that housed them. Old inmate records are usually kept permanently on file by record custodians who make them available on request. However, the requester may have to pay search fees. An alternative way to retrieve old inmate information in the state is to submit a public records request to the Wisconsin DOC.

Can I Find a Wisconsin Inmate Record for Free?

Yes. Inmate locators provided by the Wisconsin DOC, BOP, and county sheriff's offices allow members of the public to find inmate records free of charge. However, records available through each of the inmate locators are limited and specific to inmates housed by each prison/jail authority. Interested parties should consider using third-party resources like Wisconsinpublicrecords.us when looking to find records of inmates in the state, regardless of the facility holding such inmates. While these sites charge users a small access fee for each search conducted, they serve as centralized and one-stop databases of all inmates incarcerated within the state's prison system.

Jails and Prisons in Wisconsin

Each correctional facility in the state is managed by a government agency. Wisconsin's prisons and jails are categorized as follows based on the government agency in charge of facility administration:

• State Prisons - Varying types of state-operated correctional facilities in Wisconsin are managed by the state's Department of Corrections. They include 14 correctional centers, 19 adult institutions, and three women's correctional centers.
• Local Jails - These are local-level correctional facilities managed by county sheriff's offices. Wisconsin has about 74 local county jails statewide.
• Federal Prisons - There is only one federal prison in Wisconsin, and it is solely maintained by the Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP).

State Prisons in Wisconsin

The following are some of the state-operated prison facilities in Wisconsin:

Private Prisons in Wisconsin

There are no private prisons in Wisconsin.

Wisconsin Inmate Statistics

• Wisconsin Incarceration Rate - 311 per 100,000 residents
• Male Incarceration Rate - 582 per 100,000 males
• Female Incarceration Rate - 38 per 100,000 females
• Youth Custody Rate - 79 per 100,000 youths
• Number of Prisoners in Private Prisons - 0
• Black/White Imprisonment Disparity - 11.9:1
• Latino/White Imprisonment Disparity - 2.1:1
• Number of offenders under community supervision - 1,336 per 100,000 people
• Number on probation - 838 per 100,000 people
• Number on parole - 484 per 100,000 people
• Felony Disenfranchisement Rate - 1.5%

* Source: United States Bureau of Justice Statistics