PHOTO: Courtesy of WLUK
WAUPUN, WI (WTAQ-WRN) — Waupun’s mayor argues there’s no need to discuss closing Waupun Correctional Institution.
Mayor Rohn Bishop believes four recent inmate deaths were due to staffing issues that politicians in Madison have done nothing to address.
And Bishop doesn’t believe the 176-year-old prison should be closed simply because of its age.
“It needs a modernization on the interior. The cell halls have probably outlived their usefulness and could use some work,” said Bishop. “But, I think the visitor center is fairly new. It’s got nice new areas but it is an old building. But I don’t think the building and the age of the building has anything to do with what was going on in the prison.”
The prison’s former warden and eight staff members are charged in connection with two inmate deaths, one termed a homicide. In announcing the charges last week, Dodge County Sheriff Dale Schmidt cited failure to follow procedures and make necessary checks on inmates. Schmidt said those failings could not be attributed solely to staffing shortages.
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