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AB1222: Bill Text
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2025 - 2026 LEGISLATURE
LRB-0554/1
MIM:skw&cjs
2025 ASSEMBLY BILL 1222
March 19, 2026 - Introduced by Representatives
Madison
,
Clancy
,
Arney
,
Goodwin
,
Haywood
,
Miresse
,
Moore Omokunde
,
Phelps
,
Brown
,
Cruz
,
Palmeri
,
Rivera-Wagner
,
Sinicki
,
Stubbs
and
Taylor
, cosponsored by Senators
Larson
,
Spreitzer
and
Roys
. Referred to Committee on Corrections.
AB1222,1,3
1
An Act
to create
15.105 (34), 16.035, 20.505 (1) (dz), 20.923 (6) (ak) and 230.08
2
(2) (ym) of the statutes;
relating to:
creating an office of the ombudsperson for
3
corrections and making an appropriation.
Analysis by the Legislative Reference Bureau
This bill creates the Office of the Ombudsperson for Corrections, attached to the Department of Administration. The office is under the direction of an ombudsperson, who is appointed by the governor and approved by the senate. Under the bill, the ombudsperson accepts complaints regarding facilities, abuse, unfair acts, and violations of rights of prisoners from prisoners in state adult and juvenile correctional facilities or under the supervision of community corrections. Under the bill, prisoners, staff and contractors at state facilities or under the supervision of community corrections, family members of prisoners, and members of the community may file a complaint. The ombudsperson is required to distribute a complaint form and self-sealing envelopes to all correctional institutions operated by a state agency and those facilities are required to make the forms and envelopes readily available to prisoners. Under the bill, staff members of the Office of the Ombudsperson for Corrections are required to regularly pick up the sealed envelopes that contain the complaint forms. Only employees of the office are allowed to open the envelopes. If the ombudsperson determines to make a recommendation to the facility where the prisoner is housed, or to the operator of a community corrections service, the operator has 30 days to respond to the recommendations of the ombudsperson.
Also under the bill, the Office of the Ombudsperson for Corrections is required to establish and maintain an online dashboard of complaint information and to annually publish a report of its findings and recommendations and to report to the governor and the chief clerk of each house of the legislature. Finally, the bill authorizes 26 full-time equivalent GPR positions for the Office of the Ombudsperson for Corrections and provides that the ombudsperson may appoint a deputy ombudsperson in the classified service.
For further information see the state fiscal estimate, which will be printed as an appendix to this bill.
The people of the state of Wisconsin, represented in senate and assembly, do enact as follows:
AB1222,1
1
Section
1
.
15.105 (34) of the statutes is created to read:
AB1222,2,7
2
15.105
(34)
Office of the ombudsperson for corrections.
There is
3
created an office of the ombudsperson for corrections, attached to the department of
4
administration under s. 15.03. The office shall be under the direction and
5
supervision of an ombudsperson who shall be nominated by the governor, and, with
6
the advice and consent of the senate appointed, shall serve at the pleasure of the
7
governor.
AB1222,2
8
Section
2
.
16.035 of the statutes is created to read:
AB1222,2,9
9
16.035
Office of the ombudsperson for corrections.
(1)
In this section:
AB1222,2,11
10
(a) “Ombudsperson” means the ombudsperson of the office of the
11
ombudsperson for corrections.
AB1222,2,14
12
(b) “Prisoner” means a prisoner who is imprisoned in a state facility or who is
13
under the supervision of a community-based correctional service contracted for or
14
operated by the department of corrections.
AB1222,2,16
15
(c) “State facility” means a state prison, a juvenile correctional facility, or a
16
secured residential care center for children and youth.
AB1222,3,4
1
(2)
The ombudsperson may appoint, in the classified service, one deputy
2
ombudsperson of the office of the ombudsperson of corrections. The ombudsperson
3
may delegate to the deputy ombudsperson any of the ombudsperson’s authority or
4
duties except those described under sub. (12).
AB1222,3,6
5
(3)
The ombudsperson shall investigate complaints regarding all of the
6
following:
AB1222,3,7
7
(a) A state facility.
AB1222,3,9
8
(b) A community-based correctional service contracted for or operated by the
9
department of corrections.
AB1222,3,10
10
(c) Abuse, unfair acts, and violations of rights of prisoners.
AB1222,3,12
11
(4)
The ombudsperson may investigate complaints under sub. (3) (a), (b), or (c)
12
from all of the following, at no cost to the complainant:
AB1222,3,16
13
(a) Prisoners, staff, and contractors at state facilities and community-based
14
correctional services contracted for or operated by the department of corrections.
15
Prisoners, staff, and contractors shall first exhaust any internal complaint
16
processes before filing a complaint with the ombudsperson.
AB1222,3,17
17
(b) Family members of prisoners and members of the community.
AB1222,4,5
18
(5)
The ombudsperson shall create a complaint form and provide sufficient
19
blank copies of the form and self-sealing envelopes to state agencies that operate
20
state facilities for distribution to prisoners at the request of a prisoner and to
21
operators of community-based correctional services contracted for or operated by
22
the department of corrections. The blank copies of the form and self-sealing
23
envelopes shall also be placed in locations that prisoners regularly visit, such as a
24
common area or library, for prisoners to use. The department shall also make the
1
form available on its website. Staff of the office of the ombudsperson for corrections
2
shall regularly visit each state facility in each correctional region of this state to
3
collect completed forms in sealed envelopes. No individual other than an employee
4
of the office of the ombudsperson for corrections is authorized to open an envelope
5
that contains a complaint form.
AB1222,4,12
6
(6)
The ombudsperson shall review each complaint under sub. (3) and
7
determine whether the office of the ombudsperson for corrections will make a
8
recommendation regarding the complaint directly to the operator of the state
9
facility where the prisoner is housed, the operator of the community-based
10
correctional service, the governor, or the legislature, or other party, or make no
11
recommendation. No individual other than the addressee is authorized to open an
12
envelope that contains a response from the ombudsperson.
AB1222,4,18
13
(7)
If the ombudsperson determines, as provided in sub. (6), to make a
14
recommendation directly to the operator of the state facility where the prisoner is
15
housed or the operator of the community-based correctional service, the operator
16
shall respond within 30 days. The operator shall include in the response what
17
actions the operator is taking as a result of the recommendations of the
18
ombudsperson and why the operator is taking those actions or not taking actions.
AB1222,4,20
19
(8)
The ombudsperson may investigate the policies and practices of any or the
20
following:
AB1222,4,21
21
(a) A state agency that operates a state facility.
AB1222,4,22
22
(b) A state facility.
AB1222,4,24
23
(c) A community-based correctional service contracted for or operated by the
24
department of corrections.
AB1222,5,7
1
(9)
The ombudsperson shall annually publish reports of the ombudsperson’s
2
findings and recommendations for improvements to policies and practices of
3
community-based correctional services contracted for or operated by the
4
department of corrections and state facilities. The ombudsperson shall maintain a
5
public website that is updated monthly and that contains a dashboard of statistics
6
regarding complaints received by the ombudsperson, including at least all of the
7
following information:
AB1222,5,8
8
(a) Number.
AB1222,5,9
9
(b) Type.
AB1222,5,10
10
(c) Resolution.
AB1222,5,11
11
(d) Implementation of any recommendations.
AB1222,5,17
12
(10)
The operator of a state facility or a community-based correctional service
13
shall cooperate with the ombudsperson and shall make its facilities and records
14
regarding prisoners available to the ombudsperson as reasonably necessary for the
15
ombudsperson to conduct investigations of complaints and to conduct investigations
16
of practices of the operator and any facilities operated by the operator. The operator
17
may not unreasonably restrict access to records regarding prisoners.
AB1222,5,21
18
(11)
The ombudsperson may subpoena witnesses and the production of books,
19
papers, records, and documents material to an investigation conducted by the
20
ombudsperson or a staff member of the office of the ombudsperson for corrections,
21
including any electronic media and video and audio recordings.
AB1222,5,24
22
(12)
If the ombudsperson has reason to believe that any public official or
23
employee has acted in a manner warranting criminal or disciplinary proceedings,
24
the ombudsperson may refer the matter to the appropriate authorities.
AB1222,6,7
1
(13)
On or before December 31 each year, the ombudsperson shall submit to
2
the governor, the chief clerk of each house of the legislature for distribution to the
3
legislature under s. 13.172 (2), and the secretary of the department of corrections a
4
report of the ombudsperson’s findings and results of the ombudsperson’s
5
investigations under this section. The report shall include any responses provided
6
by the operator of a state facility or the operator of a community-based correctional
7
service under sub. (7).
AB1222,3
8
Section
3
.
20.505 (1) (dz) of the statutes is created to read:
AB1222,6,11
9
20.505
(1)
(dz)
Office of the ombudsperson for corrections; general program
10
operations.
A sum sufficient for the operation of the office of the ombudsperson for
11
corrections under s. 16.035.
AB1222,4
12
Section
4
.
20.923 (6) (ak) of the statutes is created to read:
AB1222,6,14
13
20.923
(6)
(ak) Administration, department of: ombudsperson of the office of
14
the ombudsperson for corrections.
AB1222,5
15
Section
5
.
230.08 (2) (ym) of the statutes is created to read:
AB1222,6,17
16
230.08
(2)
(ym) The ombudsperson of the office of the ombudsperson for
17
corrections.
AB1222,6
18
Section
6
. Nonstatutory provisions.
AB1222,6,22
19
(
1
)
Position authorizations.
The authorized FTE positions for the
20
department of administration are increased by 26.0 GPR positions, to be funded
21
from the appropriation under s. 20.505 (1) (dz), for the purpose of operating the
22
office of the ombudsperson for corrections.
AB1222,6,23
23
(end)
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