Unusual Waupun lockdown began in March

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Waupun correctional institution in Wisconsin has been locked down since March and  prison officials have not said when normal operations will resume, reports The New York Times.

One thousand people incarcerated at Waupun Correctional Institution, a maximum-security prison in Wisconsin, have been confined mostly to their cells for more than four months, ever since prison officials locked down the facility and halted many programs and services, The New York Times reported.

According to the New York Times, prisoners have been forced to eat all meals in their cells, received no visits from friends or family, have complaints of pain ignored, and have limited fresh air or recreation time.

“What is happening in Waupun illustrates a reality at prisons across the country: Lockdowns, once a rare action taken in a crisis, are becoming a common way to deal with chronic staffing and budget shortages,” The New York Times reported.

According to the Times, Waupun is merely one example of the reality of prisons throughout the nation, and Wisconsin is no exception.

“Waupun is not the state’s only prison under lockdown. Eighty miles northeast, those at the maximum-security prison in Green Bay have been effectively locked down since June. Prisoner advocates have shared reports of prisoners protesting conditions inside the institution, but the Department of Corrections would confirm only that there were unspecified security threats,” The New York Times said.

Green Bay’s prison has a vacancy rate for correctional officers and sergeants of 40%, according to the report.

“People are threatening suicide every day, and there’s no treatment here,” said a Waupun prisoner, Jayvon Flemming in an interview with The New York Times, referring to mental health care. “You have to harm yourself or threaten suicide just to get staff’s attention. I’m in a nightmare.”

Wisconsin prisons also face a shortage of staff for health care (24%) and psychological services (27%), according to data obtained by the New York Times from the Department of Corrections.

Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers administration oversees Wisconsin’s Department of Corrections. He told The Times that ensuring prison safety is a top priority and that his office will continue to rely on the DOC’s judgment. The governor’s office did not respond to questions about the cause of the restrictions or steps it might take if the lockdown continued.

Jamie Kelter Davis and Justin Mayo contributed reporting. Mario Koran is examining the Wisconsin department of corrections as part of the New York Times’s local investigations Fellowship. He reported this article in partnership with Wisconsin Watch and with support from the Data Driven reporting Project, which is funded by the google news initiative in partnership with northwestern university-Medill.