Construction or establishment of certain institutions
Wis. Stat. § 301.16
in effect(1) The department shall construct or establish an adult medium/maximum security institution or an adult medium security institution or both.
(1f) In addition to the institutions under sub. (1), the department may establish and operate an adult correctional institution in the town of Birch, Lincoln County, at the location that was the Lincoln Hills School and Copper Lake School.
(1m) The medium security institution under sub. (1) shall be the Oshkosh Correctional Institution and shall be located north of Oshkosh, north of Snell Road and south of Sunnyview Road at the site that, on July 31, 1981, was the site of the Winnebago Correctional Farm.
(1n) In addition to the institutions under sub. (1), the department shall establish a maximum security correctional institution that constitutes the prison expansion project enumerated in 1995 Wisconsin Act 27, section 9108 (1) (b), and that is located at a site selected by the building commission.
(1o)
(a) In addition to the institutions under sub. (1), the department shall establish a correctional institution located at the St. Bonaventure site which is located between CTH “H” on the west and 90th Street on the east in the village of Sturtevant in Racine County.
(b) In the selection of classified service employees of the institution specified in par. (a), the appointing authority shall, whenever possible, use the expanded certification program under rules of the director of the bureau of merit recruitment and selection in the department of administration to ensure that employees of the institution reflect the general population of either the county in which the institution is located or the most populous county contiguous to the county in which the institution is located, whichever population is greater. The director of the bureau of merit recruitment and selection in the department of administration shall provide guidelines for the administration of this selection procedure.
(1q) The department shall establish probation and parole holding facilities, one of which shall be the probation and parole holding and alcohol and other drug abuse treatment facility in the city of Milwaukee, as enumerated in 1997 Wisconsin Act 27, section 9107 (1) (b) 1.
(1r) In addition to the institutions under sub. (1), the department shall establish a medium security correctional institution for persons 15 years of age or over, but not more than 24 years of age, who have been placed in a state prison under s. 302.01. The medium security correctional institution under this subsection shall be known as the Racine Youthful Offender Correctional Facility and shall be located at the intersection of Albert Street and North Memorial Drive in the city of Racine. The department shall limit the number of prisoners who may be placed at the Racine Youthful Offender Correctional Facility to no more than 500 at any one time.
(1s) In addition to the institutions under sub. (1), the department shall establish a medium security correctional institution that is a part of the correctional facilities enumerated in 1997 Wisconsin Act 27, section 9107 (1) (b), and that is located in Redgranite.
(1t) In addition to the institutions under sub. (1), the department shall establish a medium security correctional institution that is a part of the correctional facilities enumerated in 1997 Wisconsin Act 27, section 9107 (1) (b), and that is located in New Lisbon.
(1u) Notwithstanding 1995 Wisconsin Act 27, section 9126 (23) and (26v), the department shall operate the facility authorized under 1995 Wisconsin Act 27, section 9126 (26v), as a state prison.
(1v) In addition to the institutions under sub. (1), the department shall establish a minimum security correctional institution in Chippewa Falls.
(1w) The department shall establish one or more Type 1 juvenile correctional facilities, as enumerated in 2017 Wisconsin Act 185, section 110 (10) (a).
(1ww) In addition to the institutions under sub. (1), the department shall establish a geriatric correctional institution, as enumerated in 2017 Wisconsin Act 59, section 9104 (1) (c) 1. d.
(1x) Inmates from the Wisconsin state prisons may be transferred to the institutions under this section, except that inmates may not be transferred to a Type 1 juvenile correctional facility established under sub. (1w) unless required under s. 973.013 (3m). Inmates transferred under this subsection shall be subject to all laws pertaining to inmates of other penal institutions of this state. Officers and employees of the institutions shall be subject to the same laws as pertain to other penal institutions. Inmates shall not be received on direct commitment from the courts.
(2) Construction or establishment of the institutions shall be in compliance with all state laws except s. 32.035 and ch. 91.
(3) In addition to the exemptions under s. 13.48 (13), construction or establishment of the institutions shall not be subject to the ordinances or regulations relating to zoning, including zoning under ch. 91, of the county and municipality in which the construction or establishment takes place.
Source: WI Statutes (Official Site)URL: https://docs.legis.wisconsin.gov/document/statutes/301.16Fetched: 10/7/2026