Waupun Correctional Institution
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| Location | Waupun, Wisconsin |
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| Coordinates | 43°37′47″N 88°43′53″W / 43.629599°N 88.731401°WCoordinates: 43°37′47″N 88°43′53″W / 43.629599°N 88.731401°W |
| Status | Operational |
| Security class | Maximum |
| Capacity | 882 males (operating) |
| Population | 1,241 males (as of FY 2011) |
| Opened | 1851 |
| Managed by |
Wisconsin Department of Corrections Division of Adult Institutions |
| Warden | Brian Foster |
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Wisconsin State Prison Historic District
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Photographed by H. H. Bennett in 1893
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| Location | 200 S. Madison St Waupun, Wisconsin |
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| Built | 1854 |
| NRHP Reference # | 91001994 |
| Added to NRHP | January 22, 1992 |
The Waupun Correctional Institution is a maximum security penitentiary in Waupun, Wisconsin. The prison is under the command of Warden Brian Foster.
On July 4, 1851, Governor Nelson Dewey selected the Waupun area to be the site of the Wisconsin State Prison. A temporary structure opened in 1851. It could hold a maximum of 40 inmates, and was intended to be used only until the completion of a wing of the main prison. By December 31, 1852, 27 inmates were held there. The first permanent building was completed in 1854, and is still in use today as the South Cell Hall. According to the Commissioner of the State Prison, it was to be constructed of stone using prison labor. Additions were made over the years in 1855, 1906, 1913, 1940, and 1998. The prison was added to the National Register of Historic Places as the "Wisconsin State Prison Historic District" in 1992.
In 1918, Warden Henry Town reported a decrease in the prison population over a two-year period. The number had dropped from 906 in 1916 to 853 in 1918. Between 20 and 30 percent of that number were employed outside of the prison. They lived in bunkhouses or at a residence at one of the prison's farms. Foreman and superintendents supervised their work instead of armed guards, but nine prisoners did escape, with only two being apprehended. In the spring and summer of 1917, the prison operated six road construction camps with approximately 15 workers per camp. Prisoners were also assigned to construction projects, such as the Industrial Home for Women at Taycheedah and the Southern Wisconsin Home for the Feeble Minded and Epileptic at Union Grove, Wisconsin. In 1918, the prison did not assign any men for road work. Instead, more were scheduled for farm labor to support the war effort. The Wisconsin State Prison operated a number of farms as part of its rehabilitation program for prisoners. It owned 367 acres of land in the town of Chester, 400 acres in the town of Trenton, and rented 960 acres with another 657 acres arranged to be rented by October 1, 1918. Total farm revenues reported on June 30, 1918 were $32,151.84, which was used to offset the costs of running the prison. The prison also operated a cannery for the farm products, a shoe factory, and planned to construct a license plate factory.
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