How the Broken Justice System Shapes Daily Life Inside Waupun

Matthew Neumann describes how the broken justice system continues to devastate innocent people while exposing ongoing failures inside Waupun Prison.

Wisconsin’s Governor Evers‘ public announcement that Waupun Correctional Institution (WCI) is to be fully staffed and 100% operational by 2025 is the proverbial dog chasing its tail.

Broken Justice System and Administrative Failure

The southwest cell hall here at WCI has had a total of just five hours of outdoor recreation so far in 2025. Five days of one-hour outdoor activities. Change and oversight are needed to address the devastating effects of WCI staff shortages. Governor Evers ended the $5.00 per hour bonus incentives being offered to other Wisconsin prison staff members to help out here at WCI. This little incentive kept a regular staff rotation and helped keep the prison somewhat operable.

How the System Fuels Violence and Neglect

The broken prison policies and inadequate staff training, along with the lack of accountabilities, are once again running rampant here at WCI. Understaffing at WCI remains a very serious problem, which only leads to no supervision and more violence. Such inadequate job performance in the warden’s office is unacceptable and prevents inmates from access to everyday human life’s necessities, like medical or mental health care, out-of-cell activities, legal research, and family visits.

Rising Suicide Risks

Without adequate prison staff and mental health care, there is always a significant increase in inmates harming themselves and even committing suicide. The suicide rate for incarcerated people is significantly higher than people living outside of prison. This already significantly high suicide rate only elevates when the prison is on lockdown and people are isolated, especially without ongoing human interaction.

Broken Justice System and Daily Exploitation

Wisconsin Department of Corrections contracted with IC Solutions for inmate tablets. Every memo prior to and after the new tablet program and has advertised the “free news app,” which allowed myself and all other Wisconsin inmates to browse the news for free. On August 15, 2025, IC Solutions abandoned their advertised contractual agreement and moved the the once-free news app to the pay-per-minute section. IC Solutions now claims they mistakenly placed the news app in the free browser section, which contradicts every pricing memo ever published. This is common practice of bait and switch, and violates the Consumer Fraud and Deceptive Business Act, Antitrust and Trade Regulations, Wisconsin Stat. 100.18 Fraudulent Regulations, and the Federal Stat. 238.4.

Broken Justice System and Dehumanizing Conditions

The population here at WCI is overboiling with anger and frustration. Inmates are getting sick of being treated worse than a stray dog at a humane society. Even the foremost notorious stray dog that’s a frequent flyer for the local dog catcher is treated better than us here at WCI.

Worsening Living Conditions

We’re again being denied out-of-cell activities for weeks on end, one or two showers in 10 days, and it just keeps worsening. Today, about 20 fellow inmates took over the bathhouse, protesting mistreatment. Last week, another correctional officer (CO) was attacked. The prison is further aggregating inmates by packing up half a cell hall without notice—just to change a mirror. Changing a mirror is no rocket science; the old, hard, plastic mirror has four bolts, and the new, stainless steel mirror has six bolts, plus they slop some adhesive on the back. The average lazy union worker could accomplish this in 30 minutes, so packing everyone up and moving them into disgustingly dirty cells is just pissing guys off, not to mention some fellows have a shitload of property to move.

Filthy Cells

The cell hall I’m in just completed this ridiculous task, and sure as shit, the only thing that’s different is the mirror. My new cell was also disgusting, and thank God I have my own cleaning supplies, because the prison won’t provide anything. The hardest part was trying to wash all the walls down with my eight extra-large garbage bags of property stuffed in the 5×8 stink box as the door slams shut.

Forced Isolation

There’s no asking questions. You get escorted to your new cage, toss your stuff in, and—BAM—the guard locks you in. If you had a question, LOL, it will have to wait until chow time, when they bring your slop to the door and slide it through the trap. Remember, this is general population and not the hole. Guys with no property sit in the 5×8 concrete box 24/7 with nothing to do, their doors opening maybe for a shower.

Enjoy reading this story? Don’t miss Waupun Correctional Institution Lockdown: Historic Crisis, Inmate Deaths, and Ongoing Scandal

The post How the Broken Justice System Shapes Daily Life Inside Waupun first appeared on Prison Writers.