MADISON, WI (WTAQ) - State officials say they’re taking steps to stop prisoners from getting food stamps.

Stephanie Smiley of the Health Services Department says agency employees will be re-assigned to help address the issue.

A state audit released last Friday showed that 447 prisoners were getting benefits from the Food Share program, which helps feed the poor. Auditors found that some inmates were accumulating monthly benefits to use or sell when they get out. And other prisoners gave their Food Share cards to friends or relatives to use.

Data from the state’s Food Share program will be compared to inmate records from the Corrections Department starting in July. And Smiley says even more resources will be devoted to the problem when the state Inspector General’s office starts working in July.

Governor Scott Walker created the new office to help state agencies look harder for fraud in various programs.

The audit found that a total of 1,600 people received Food Share benefits in January, despite not being eligible. Besides the prisoners, most of the others either violated probation or parole or had other corrections-related issues.