Green Bay Correctional Institution (Fox 11 Online)
ALLOUEZ, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) – Governor Evers says a decision on the future of Green Bay Correctional Institution needs to be part of criminal justice reform across the state and not an individual decision.
He addressed the issue in a letter to Allouez officials who have been pushing to have the more than one hundred year old facility closed.
Green Bay Correctional Institution in Allouez is not only one of the oldest prisons in the state, but also in the country. For years, village officials and state lawmakers have been pushing to have the prison closed and a new state-of-the-art facility built.
“There’s only 5% of GBCI that is not in need of repair. It has failed every single building code related to prisons. We had two major studies, spent $600,000 under two administrations, all have said the same thing that GBCI needs to be closed,” said State Rep. David Steffen (R- Howard).
But in a letter sent to village officials, Governor Evers said, “I have been clear that any plan to close GBCI must be comprehensive and considered holistically based on the needs of Wisconsin’s adult corrections program.”
According to State Rep. Steffen, “He is essentially saying that he is not going to close GBCI. He has a laundry list of 50 cent words that he wants done. These words like holistic changes. What that means is to me and anyone who reads it is that he’s not going to close GBCI.”
When asked about the letter and his position on the prison, the governor said he’s not against closing it. He just believes more discussions need to be had before a final decision is made on GBCI and other state institutions.
Gov. Evers said, “We’re doing the best we can, but it has to be done system-wide. It has to be done system-wide. We just can’t say that place is old, therefore we’re going to close that down build a new one.”
Allouez Village President Jim Rafter, who has spent nearly a decade on the movement to have the prison closed, is encouraged by the governor’s recognition of the prison issue. He said, “We all agree there’s something wrong with GBCI.”
And while he’s willing to sit down with the parties involved, Rafter questions the state’s ability to act quickly enough to make a difference for those who work and live at GBCI as well as the surrounding community, adding, “When you can’t find $500 million to build one prison, I don’t know how you’re going to address the entire corrections system.”
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