Matthew Neumann describes how Waupun’s prison warden was arrested after Prison Writers’ Loen Kelley notified the local and national media about the prison’s brutal conditions.

Waupun Correctional Institution (WCI) went on full lockdown two years ago and remains on limited movement still today. In the wake of this historic, lengthy lockdown, the FBI started an investigation probe due to all the “drugs and cellphones” being smuggled in, while the Dodge County Sheriff began investigating inmate deaths as potential homicides.

When our TVs were interrupted with “breaking news,” cheers echoed as these old dungeon walls roared and rumbled to the howls of inmates celebrating the announcement of WCI Warden Randal Hepp’s arrest along with 15 other high-ranking staff members, including medical staff, for smuggling drugs and contraband, as well as the homicide of fellow inmate Donald Maier. Prison officials had turned off Maier’s water for several days, forcing him to drink his own toilet waste water. “We were forced to hear his cries for help all the way into his final death moans.”

WCI remains on limited movement, where we have only approximately four hours per week out of our 5×9 cells. The chow hall remains closed, forcing us to eat all meals in our cells. The bakery remains closed, but our kitchen finally opened to provide us hot meals five days per week. All inmate movement is by staff escort only.

Sadly, just as this dungeon was starting to open, we lost fellow inmate Chris McDonald to a hanging suicide, then another young man to an overdose. Drugs and contraband remain significantly problematic in this dungeon, with some days producing three to five overdoses that require paramedics and ambulance—definitely interrupting prison operations with a medical lockdown.

I would like to end by wishing peace to my fellow inmates who let these cold dark walls take their lives during this historic, lengthy lockdown.

Inmate Jumps From Fourth Tier at WCI Wisconsin

April 16, 2025, we went into full lockdown after a 44-year-old male inmate dover off the fourth tier. He was taken by ambulance and then airlifted to a trauma hospital. WCI is the oldest dungeon/prison in the Midwest, built in the mid-1800s and houses around 1,200 maximum-secured inmates. The tiers have a 30-inch walkway, with approximately 30 cells that have square bars. The walkways have approximately four-foot bars/guardrail that prevents people from falling off the tier, but nothing to stop an inmate from a free-fall dive or another inmate tossing someone over. At this time, it is unclear if the fellow inmate was attempting to end his life or was high on something. Drugs continue to be problematic.

Matt Neumann #357189

WCI Mail Processing Center

Box 189

Phoenix, MD 21131

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