Waupun prison investigation puts GBCI back in the spotlight | WTAQ News Talk | 97.5 FM · 1360 AM

GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) – Following the high-profile arrest of nine Waupun Correctional Institution (WCI) employees on Wednesday, area leaders are again calling for the closure of the Green Bay prison.

Randall Hepp, director of WCI, is accused of abuse of office. Eight other prison employees are accused of serious mistreatment of inmates, and three of them are also accused of abuse of office. This is the result of an investigation that was launched after four WCI inmates died in eight months.

During Wednesday’s press conference, Dodge County Sheriff Dale Schmidt mentioned the Green Bay prison by name. “It was later brought to my attention that there were similar incidents at the Green Bay Correctional Institution,” Schmidt said.

Allouez Mayor Jim Rafter and State Rep. David Steffens – who represent the area where GBCI is located – have both been calling for GBCI to be closed for nearly a decade.

FOX 11 spoke with Rafter and Steffens about Wednesday’s arrests and the ongoing problems at GBCI. Both called on Gov. Tony Evers to take action to replace the Green Bay and Waupun prisons.

“It’s in terrible shape and can’t do its job,” Rafter said of GBCI. “It’s an ongoing effort that’s not going to end until GBCI is closed. It’s something that needs to happen. I was honestly very happy that someone from outside the Green Bay area, namely the Dodge County Sheriff, brought this up. When you have law enforcement officers like the Dodge County Sheriff, like (Brown County) Sheriff Delain — they’re in the business, they’re in these places, they know what they’re like. Listen to the professionals and do the right thing. Start conversations and, as the Dodge County Sheriff said, save lives. We’re losing lives. These places are not designed to do what they need to do today.”

Steffens said the events at Waupun Correctional Institution should be a wake-up call.

“The time for half measures is over. It is time for us to push forward with a plan that will close these two 19th century plants,” Steffens said. “We must make it clear that this problem will not improve without action.”

I’ve been saying for years that this is a ticking time bomb, both GBCI and the problems in Waupun. We’re seeing those trickle down into the real world here. So I’m not sure how many deaths, how many lawsuits, how many staffing issues we have to deal with before we have a governor who’s willing to make a decision – the right decision. We have to make some strong, real changes to our prison system.