Yes.
Incarcerating someone in Wisconsin correctional institutions costs far more than tuition at a state technical college.
According to data in a 2025 report to the Legislature, it costs on average $144.88 per day to house someone in an adult corrections facility, or $52,881 a year. Those numbers come from a 2023-24 study, the most recent data available.
The report notes that some facilities are more expensive than others. The maximum-security Columbia Correctional Institution costs $256.66 per day. The medium-security Stanley Correctional Institution costs $111.94.
The annual cost of tuition at a Wisconsin technical college for an in-state student is about $4,585, not including books, materials or other related fees, according to the Wisconsin Technical College System website. By comparison, in-state tuition at the University of Wisconsin-Madison is $12,166 for the 2025-26 school year, according to the Universities of Wisconsin website.
This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.
Sources
- Legislative Fiscal Bureau: Adult Corrections Program
- Wisconsin Technical College System: Annual cost of tuition and fees
- Universities of Wisconsin: Tuition and fees
