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Wisconsin Legislature: SB724: Bill Text
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SB724: Bill Text
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2025 - 2026 LEGISLATURE
LRB-5490/1
MJW:cjs&cdc
2025 SENATE BILL 724
December 2, 2025 - Introduced by Senators
Roys
,
Larson
,
Drake
and
Keyeski
, cosponsored by Representatives
Phelps
,
Clancy
,
Madison
,
Arney
,
Hong
,
Tenorio
,
Bare
,
DeSanto
,
Prado
,
Joers
,
Miresse
,
Sinicki
and
Stubbs
. Referred to Committee on Judiciary and Public Safety.
SB724,1,3
1
An Act
to create
302.081 and 302.082 of the statutes;
relating to:
recreational
2
opportunities and structured programming for inmates in state correctional
3
institutions and county jails and houses of correction.
Analysis by the Legislative Reference Bureau
This bill requires the Department of Corrections to ensure that all state correctional institutions provide, and sheriffs to ensure that all county jails and houses of correction provide, recreational opportunities and organized, structured programming that is relevant to the interests and needs of the inmates being held in the state correctional institutions, jails, and houses of correction.
The bill generally requires that when staffing levels meet or exceed 80 percent for officer staffing and structured programming staffing, each inmate is allowed at least 35 hours per week to engage in recreational opportunities and structured programming with an average of at least five total hours per day for such activities and programming, and if such staffing levels are less than 80 percent, each inmate is allowed at least 21 hours per week to engage in recreational opportunities and structured programming with an average of at least three total hours per day for such activities and programming. Of the 35 or 21 hours per week, each inmate must be allowed at least seven hours per week to engage in recreational opportunities and at least 14 hours per week to engage in structured programming, of which at least five hours must be structured programming other than work experience.
Under the bill, these recreation and structured programming requirements apply to all inmates in a state correctional institution, and apply to inmates of a county jail beginning on the 91st day of the inmate’s confinement. For inmates of a county jail, there is no requirement to allow participation in recreation and structured programming for days 1 to 30 of the inmate’s confinement, and for days 31 to 90 of the inmate’s confinement, the inmate must be allowed at least 10 hours per week to engage in recreational opportunities and structured programming. Under the bill, recreation and structured programming privileges may be denied to any inmate of a state correctional institution or county jail for a period of up to 10 consecutive days if the inmate is subject to a partial or full prison or jail lockdown or is currently being held in solitary confinement.
For further information see the state and local 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:
SB724,1
1
Section
1
.
302.081 of the statutes is created to read:
SB724,2,7
2
302.081
Recreation and programming in state correctional
3
institutions.
(1)
The department shall ensure that all state correctional
4
institutions provide recreational opportunities and organized, structured
5
programming that is relevant to the interests and needs of the inmates of the state
6
correctional institutions. The department shall prioritize the following types of
7
structured programming under this subsection:
SB724,2,8
8
(a) Academic instruction.
SB724,2,9
9
(b) Vocational training.
SB724,2,10
10
(c) Career development.
SB724,2,11
11
(d) Work experience.
SB724,2,12
12
(e) Reentry planning.
SB724,2,13
13
(f) Faith-based activities.
SB724,3,1
1
(g) Behavioral health.
SB724,3,2
2
(h) Health and wellness.
SB724,3,3
3
(i) Technology literacy.
SB724,3,4
4
(j) Social-cultural enrichment.
SB724,3,14
5
(2)
(a) If the level of correctional officer staffing and structured programming
6
staffing is equal to or greater than 80 percent for a state correctional institution,
7
except as provided in par. (c), the warden or superintendent of the state correctional
8
institution shall ensure that each inmate is allowed not less than 35 hours per week
9
to engage in recreational opportunities and structured programming under sub. (1),
10
with an average of not less than 5 total hours per day for such activities and
11
programming. Of the 35 hours per week, each inmate shall be allowed not less than
12
7 hours per week to engage in recreational opportunities and not less than 14 hours
13
per week to engage in structured programming, of which at least 5 hours shall be
14
allocated to structured programming other than work experience under sub. (1) (d).
SB724,4,2
15
(b) If the level of correctional officer staffing and structured programming
16
staffing is less than 80 percent for a state correctional institution, except as
17
provided in par. (c), the warden or superintendent of the state correctional
18
institution shall ensure that each inmate is allowed not less than 21 hours per week
19
to engage in recreational opportunities and structured programming under sub. (1),
20
with an average of not less than 3 total hours per day for such activities and
21
programming. Of the 21 hours per week, each inmate shall be allowed not less than
22
7 hours per week to engage in recreational opportunities and not less than 14 hours
1
per week to engage in structured programming, of which at least 5 hours shall be
2
allocated to structured programming other than work experience under sub. (1) (d).
SB724,4,7
3
(c) If an inmate is subject to a partial or full prison lockdown or is currently
4
being held in solitary confinement, the warden or superintendent of the state
5
correctional institution may deny the inmate the time specified under par. (a) or (b)
6
to engage in recreational opportunities and structured programming for a period
7
not to exceed 10 consecutive days.
SB724,2
8
Section
2
.
302.082 of the statutes is created to read:
SB724,4,14
9
302.082
Recreation and programming in county jails and houses of
10
correction.
(1)
The sheriff shall ensure that the county jail or house of correction
11
provides recreational opportunities and organized, structured programming that is
12
relevant to the interests and needs of the inmates of the county jail or house of
13
correction. The sheriff shall prioritize the following types of structured
14
programming under this subsection:
SB724,4,15
15
(a) Academic instruction.
SB724,4,16
16
(b) Vocational training.
SB724,4,17
17
(c) Career development.
SB724,4,18
18
(d) Work experience.
SB724,4,19
19
(e) Reentry planning.
SB724,4,20
20
(f) Faith-based activities.
SB724,4,21
21
(g) Behavioral health.
SB724,4,22
22
(h) Health and wellness.
SB724,4,23
23
(i) Technology literacy.
SB724,5,1
1
(j) Social-cultural enrichment.
SB724,5,5
2
(2)
(a) Except as provided in par. (c), beginning on the 31st day of an inmate’s
3
confinement, the sheriff shall ensure that the inmate is allowed not less than 10
4
hours per week to engage in recreational opportunities and structured
5
programming under sub. (1).
SB724,5,16
6
(b) 1. Except as provided in par. (c), beginning on the 91st day of an inmate’s
7
confinement, if the level of uniformed officer staffing and structured programming
8
staffing is equal to or greater than 80 percent for a county jail or house of
9
correction, the sheriff shall ensure that the inmate is allowed not less than 35 hours
10
per week to engage in recreational opportunities and structured programming
11
under sub. (1), with an average of not less than 5 total hours per day for such
12
activities and programming. Of the 35 hours per week, the inmate shall be allowed
13
not less than 7 hours per week to engage in recreational opportunities and not less
14
than 14 hours per week to engage in structured programming, of which at least 5
15
hours shall be allocated to structured programming other than work experience
16
under sub. (1) (d).
SB724,6,3
17
(b) 2. Except as provided in par. (c), beginning on the 91st day of an inmate’s
18
confinement, if the level of uniformed officer staffing and structured programming
19
staffing is less than 80 percent for a county jail or house of correction, the sheriff
20
shall ensure that the inmate is allowed not less than 21 hours per week to engage in
21
recreational opportunities and structured programming under sub. (1), with an
22
average of not less than 3 total hours per day for such activities and programming.
23
Of the 21 hours per week, the inmate shall be allowed not less than 7 hours per
1
week to engage in recreational opportunities and not less than 14 hours per week to
2
engage in structured programming, of which at least 5 hours shall be allocated to
3
structured programming other than work experience under sub. (1) (d).
SB724,6,7
4
(c) If an inmate is subject to a partial or full jail lockdown or is currently being
5
held in solitary confinement, the sheriff may deny the inmate the time specified
6
under par. (a) or (b) to engage in recreational opportunities and structured
7
programming for a period not to exceed 10 consecutive days.
SB724,6,8
8
(end)
Down
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true
proposaltext
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proposaltext/2025/REG/SB724
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