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SB847: Bill Text
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2025 - 2026 LEGISLATURE
LRB-5779/1
CMH&MJW:wlj
2025 SENATE BILL 847
January 15, 2026 - Introduced by Senators
L. Johnson
,
Larson
and
Spreitzer
, cosponsored by Representatives
Madison
,
Haywood
,
Rivera-Wagner
,
Arney
,
Bare
,
Clancy
,
DeSanto
,
DeSmidt
,
Goodwin
,
Hong
,
Joers
,
Ortiz-Velez
,
Phelps
,
Sheehan
,
Sinicki
,
Stroud
,
Tenorio
and
Udell
. Referred to Committee on Judiciary and Public Safety.
SB847,1,3
1
An Act
to create
301.034 of the statutes;
relating to:
written resource guides
2
informing inmates and juveniles in custody of their rights and making an
3
appropriation.
Analysis by the Legislative Reference Bureau
This bill provides that for adult inmates, the Department of Corrections for state correctional institutions or the county sheriff for county jails or county houses of correction must maintain a written resource guide that enumerates the rights of adult inmates of a state correctional institution or county jail or house of correction. Under the bill, DOC or the sheriff must update the resource guide once per year or within one week of a legal change or institutional practice change that affects inmates’ rights. DOC or the sheriff must post the resource guide throughout the state correctional institution or county jail or house of correction and provide copies to each inmate upon entering the facility, being placed under restricted movement, being placed in solitary confinement, or upon request at any time. The warden or superintendent of a state correctional institution or the sheriff of a county jail or house of correction, or a designee who has been trained to understand and explain the resource guide, must explain an inmate’s rights as set forth in the resource guide upon the inmate entering the state correctional institution, county jail, or house of correction; upon the inmate transferring between state correctional institutions, county jails, or houses of correction; or upon request at any time.
The bill also provides the same requirements for juveniles in custody, except that DOC is responsible for maintaining the written resource guide relating to juveniles, posting and distributing the resource guide for type 1 juvenile detention facilities, and ensuring that any juvenile detention facility, secured residential care center for children and youth, or juvenile portion of the county jail approved by DOC has a plan to distribute the resource guide. The superintendent, or a designee who has been trained to understand and explain the resource guide, must explain a juvenile’s rights as set forth in the resource guide upon the juvenile entering a facility, upon the juvenile transferring between facilities, or upon request at any time.
Under the bill, the initial development of the written resource guides is to be completed via a contract through the Department of Administration with a legal organization that has experience upholding the civil rights of inmates and juveniles in correctional institutions and jails. To be awarded the contract for the development of the resource guides, the organization must demonstrate that it will 1) engage representatives from state and local governments and prison reform and advocacy organizations in the development process; 2) use at least 30 percent of the contract funds to employ individuals who were formerly incarcerated or detained in a Wisconsin state correctional institution or county jail to develop the resource guides; and 3) finish development of the resource guides by June 30, 2027. Under the bill, the requirements for DOC and county sheriffs to maintain the resource guides goes into effect on July 1, 2027.
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:
SB847,1
1
Section
1
.
301.034 of the statutes is created to read:
SB847,3,10
2
301.034
Know your rights resource guide.
(1)
Rights of adult
3
inmates.
(a) The department shall maintain a written resource guide that
4
enumerates the rights of inmates of a state correctional institution. The resource
5
guide under this paragraph shall account for specific restrictions or rights that are
6
dependent upon an inmate’s legal status, confinement status, biological factors, and
7
the institution in which the inmate is housed. The department shall update the
8
resource guide under this paragraph once per year or within one week of a legal
1
change or institutional process change that affects inmates’ rights. The
2
department shall post the resource guide throughout each state correctional
3
institution and provide copies to each inmate upon entering a state correctional
4
institution, being placed under restricted movement, being placed in solitary
5
confinement, or upon request at any time. The warden or superintendent of a state
6
correctional institution, or a designee who has been trained to understand and
7
explain the resource guide, shall explain to each inmate the contents of the resource
8
guide maintained under this paragraph upon the inmate entering the state
9
correctional institution, upon the inmate transferring between state correctional
10
institutions, or upon request at any time.
SB847,4,4
11
(b) The sheriff shall maintain a written resource guide that enumerates the
12
rights of inmates of a county jail or house of correction. The resource guide under
13
this paragraph shall account for specific restrictions or rights that are dependent
14
upon an inmate’s legal status, confinement status, biological factors, and the
15
location in which the inmate is housed. The department of corrections shall direct
16
the sheriff to update the resource guide under this paragraph once per year or
17
within one week of a legal change that affects inmates’ rights. The sheriff shall also
18
update the resource guide under this paragraph within one week of an institutional
19
process change at the county jail or house of correction that affects inmates’ rights.
20
The sheriff shall post the resource guide throughout the county jail or house of
21
correction and provide copies to each inmate upon entering the county jail or house
22
of correction, being placed under restricted movement, being placed in solitary
23
confinement, or upon request at any time. The sheriff, or a designee who has been
1
trained to understand and explain the resource guide, shall explain to each inmate
2
the contents of the resource guide maintained under this paragraph upon the
3
inmate entering the county jail or house of correction, upon the inmate transferring
4
between county jails or houses of correction, or upon request at any time.
SB847,4,13
5
(2)
Rights of juveniles.
(a) The department shall maintain a written
6
resource guide that enumerates the rights of all juveniles being held in a type 1
7
juvenile correctional facility, a juvenile detention facility, a secured residential care
8
center for children and youth, or juvenile portion of the county jail. The resource
9
guide under this paragraph shall account for specific restrictions or rights that are
10
dependent upon a juvenile’s legal status, confinement status, biological factors, and
11
the location in which the juvenile is housed. The department shall update the
12
resource guide under this paragraph once per year or within one week of a legal
13
change that affects juveniles’ rights.
SB847,4,18
14
(b) The department shall post throughout each type 1 juvenile correctional
15
facility and provide copies of the resource guide maintained under par. (a) to each
16
juvenile upon entering a type 1 juvenile correctional facility, being placed under
17
restricted movement, being placed in solitary confinement, or upon request at any
18
time.
SB847,5,2
19
(c) The department shall ensure that a requirement to post throughout the
20
facility and provide copies of the resource guide maintained under par. (a) to each
21
juvenile upon entering a facility, being placed under restricted movement, being
22
placed in solitary confinement, or upon request at any time is included with the
1
plan for any juvenile detention facility, secured residential care center for children
2
and youth, or juvenile portion of the county jail approved under s. 938.22 (2) (a).
SB847,5,8
3
(d) The superintendent of a type 1 juvenile correctional facility, a juvenile
4
detention facility, a secured residential care center for children and youth, or
5
juvenile portion of the county jail, or a designee who has been trained to understand
6
and explain the resource guide, shall explain to each juvenile the contents of the
7
resource guide maintained under par. (a) upon the juvenile entering the facility,
8
upon the juvenile transferring between facilities, or upon request at any time.
SB847,2
9
Section
2
. Nonstatutory provisions.
SB847,5,10
10
(
1
)
Contract for the creation of written resource guides.
SB847,5,16
11
(
a
)
During the 2025-26 fiscal year, the department of administration shall
12
contract with a legal organization that has experience upholding the civil rights of
13
inmates and juveniles in correctional institutions and jails for the initial
14
development of the written resource guides that the department of corrections is
15
required to maintain under s. 301.034. The contract under this paragraph shall
16
require that the written resource guides shall be completed by June 30, 2027.
SB847,5,18
17
(
b
)
To be awarded the contract under par. (a), an organization shall
18
demonstrate that it will do all of the following:
SB847,5,20
19
1
. Engage representatives from state and local governments and prison
20
reform and advocacy organizations in the development process.
SB847,5,23
21
2
. Use at least 30 percent of the contract funds to employ individuals who
22
were formerly incarcerated or detained in a Wisconsin state correctional institution
23
or county jail to develop the written resource guides.
SB847,5,24
24
3
. Complete development of the resource guides by June 30, 2027.
SB847,3
1
Section
3
. Fiscal changes.
SB847,6,5
2
(
1
)
Contract for written resource guides.
In the schedule under s.
3
20.005 (3) for the appropriation to the department of administration under s.
4
20.505 (1) (a), the dollar amount for fiscal year 2025-26 is increased by $200,000 to
5
contract under
Section
2
(
1
) of this act for the creation of written resource guides.
SB847,4
6
Section
4
. Effective dates.
This act takes effect on the day after
7
publication, except as follows:
SB847,6,9
8
(
1
)
Written resource guides.
The treatment of s. 301.034 takes effect on
9
July 1, 2027.
SB847,6,10
10
(end)
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true
proposaltext
/2025/related/proposals/sb847
proposaltext/2025/REG/SB847
proposaltext/2025/REG/SB847
section
true
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