
The Wisconsin Department of Corrections (DOC) has a $2.68 billion budget, which is the largest budget when compared to all other state agencies. Simultaneously however, Wisconsin prisons are overcrowded. According to the Badger Institute, there are approximately 20,000 incarcerated individuals living in “outdated and understaffed” prisons intended to house 17,600. There are numerous initiatives adopted by other states that Wisconsin should emulate in order to ease the issue of overcrowding. These initiatives include a data and definitions bill, expungement reform and sentence adjustment petitions. Aside from the grave problem of overcrowded prisons, community supervision poses as another area where criminal justice reform is necessary.