Medium security · Secure Detention Facility · WI DOC

Milwaukee Secure Detention Facility

Milwaukee, Milwaukee County, Wisconsin

Visiting schedules change without notice. Always call before traveling.

Call Visiting Office: (414) 212-3535 Info last verified: June 2026

An urban medium-security detention facility in downtown Milwaukee that primarily holds people on probation, parole, or extended-supervision holds and short revocations.

Statewide rules that apply at every WI DOC prison

These rules are set by WI DOC and apply at every unit. The full list — including all permitted and prohibited items and the approval process — is in Visiting in Wisconsin.

Dress code

No camouflage, transparent or revealing clothing, strapless or tube tops, spandex worn as pants, shorts or skirts shorter than fingertip length, gang-related or obscene items, or torn clothing; no watches or purses, and avoid underwire bras and metal jewelry that will not clear the metal detector.
Each institution enforces its own visiting dress code and may turn away a visitor who is dressed out of code, so confirm the specific facility's rules before traveling.

ID: Every visitor must be on the incarcerated person's approved visiting list before visiting — the person mails a DOC-21AA Visitor Questionnaire to the prospective visitor, who completes it and returns it to the institution. Visitors 16 and older show a valid government-issued photo ID at each visit.
What to bring: Bring only what the institution allows — phones, bags, and most personal items are not permitted in the visiting room. A visitor may bring up to $25 in cash or one debit/credit card for vending; money for the person's account is sent through Access Corrections, never handed over at a visit.
Scheduling: Wisconsin has no statewide online visit scheduler — visits are arranged with each institution (call the facility), and days and hours vary. Video visits are scheduled separately through ICSolutions. A newly committed person is processed at a reception center first — men at the Dodge Correctional Institution (Waupun), women at the Taycheedah Correctional Institution (Fond du Lac) — before transfer.

Full statewide rules: Visiting in Wisconsin

Overview

Milwaukee Secure Detention Facility (MSDF) is a medium-security detention facility in downtown Milwaukee, in Milwaukee County, run by the Department of Corrections’ Division of Adult Institutions. It is a high-rise urban facility that opened in 2001 and functions much like a large jail, accepting people 24 hours a day. Unlike Wisconsin’s general-population prisons, MSDF primarily holds men on probation, parole, or extended-supervision holds and short revocations, so a person’s stay can be brief and the facility shown in the locator may change.

According to WI DOC, the facility has a capacity of about 1,040, with most beds designated for men and 40 for women in a separate unit.

Wisconsin abolished the death penalty in 1853 — the first U.S. state to do so — so there is no death row and no execution chamber at any Wisconsin facility.

To confirm where a specific person is held, use the WI DOC offender locator.

What Makes the Milwaukee Secure Detention Facility Different

It is an urban detention facility, not a general-population prison, primarily holding people on probation, parole, or extended-supervision holds and short revocations.
Stays can be brief and a person may be moved, so the facility shown in the locator can change between visits.
It is a high-rise building in downtown Milwaukee, functioning much like a large jail and accepting people 24 hours a day.
It holds mainly men but also has a small women’s unit (about 40 beds), so both populations may be present.

Visiting

The statewide WI DOC rules above — the approved visitor list, the dress code, ID, and item limits — apply at the Milwaukee Secure Detention Facility. The facility’s own arrangements:

The full approval process is in Visiting in Wisconsin.

Getting There and Parking

The facility is at 1015 N. 10th St. in downtown Milwaukee, in Milwaukee County.

Distances are approximate, based on map routing. Parking is on-street and in nearby downtown lots; downtown parking can be limited and metered or paid.

Nearby Services

Downtown Milwaukee has restaurants, lodging, parking, and services within walking distance and a short drive. The nearest hospital emergency rooms are in the downtown Milwaukee area.

Mail

Incoming personal mail does not go to the prison. Wisconsin sends personal mail to an off-site vendor, TextBehind, which opens and photocopies it and forwards copies to the institution; people with tablets may also receive electronic photos. Address personal mail with the person’s full name, DOC number, and the full (unabbreviated) facility name to: TextBehind, P.O. Box 189, Phoenix, MD 21131. Legal and privileged mail is exempt and goes directly to the institution at its own legal-mail address. Books and other publications must come from an approved vendor, shipped directly from the retailer, not from individuals. Full rules are in Mail & Packages.

Learn More

For detailed information about visiting and communicating with someone in a Wisconsin state prison:

Visiting in Wisconsin — the DOC-21AA visitor questionnaire, approval, and visiting list
Mail & Packages — the TextBehind mail-scanning process and what still goes to the facility
Phone & Video Calls — ICSolutions calls, tablets, and video visits
Sending Money — depositing through Access Corrections
Medical & Mental Health — sick call, the co-pay, and the Bureau of Health Services
Transfers & Finding Someone — reception, classification, and the locator

Sources

This page is compiled from the following publicly available sources. Policies change without notice — confirm current details with the facility before relying on them.