Joint Finance Committee considers closing Green Bay Correctional Institution 

GREEN BAY, Wis (WGBW) – The Joint Finance Committee plans to approve a $2.5 billion biennial budget that could include changes to the state prison system, including closing the Green Bay Correctional Institution (GBCI) by 2029. One Democrat called their plan a “mirage”.

The co-chairs of the Republican-controlled Joint Committee on Finance (JFC), Mark Born (R-Beaver Dam) and Howard Marklein (R-Spring Green), held a press conference Tuesday morning before beginning their final work on the state biennial budget. 

Born said the committee plans to make motions Tuesday to close GBCI.

“I think it’s important to note that we’re investing across the entire state system, including moving forward plans in the Department of Corrections to make sure that we right-size and innovate in that area for the future, and also make sure that we close Green Bay Correctional by 2029,” Born said during the press conference.

Without getting into specifics, he added that the plan from the JFC will be similar to what Evers proposed, providing funding for planning infrastructure changes in the Department of Corrections. The Evers plan called for turning Waupun’s correctional facility into a vocational training center for inmates and shuttering Green Bay Correctional Institution.

State Sen. Kelda Roys (D-Madison) said Republicans’ plan sets money aside for the project, without guaranteeing its release.

But Roys says there are no guarantees. 

“Republicans … are now doing this trick again, to put it in this very fancy lockbox where it’s never gonna happen. It’s a phantom. It’s a total mirage,” Roys said. “There is nothing that we’re doing in this budget that’s gonna allow Green Bay to be closed.” 

The budget deal with Governor Evers includes $1.2 billion for education and child care. It also has $1.5 billion in tax cuts, mostly to the middle class.

Opening in 1898, Green Bay Correctional Institution is the second-oldest prison in the state of Wisconsin. Local leaders, law enforcement, and state lawmakers have been advocating for its closure for years.