Transfers & Finding Someone in Wisconsin (WI DOC)

Finding someone

WI DOC publishes an online locator, the Offender Locator Public, that can be searched by name or by DOC number (the identifying number assigned to each person in state custody). A search returns the person’s current institution. The locator is the standard way to confirm where someone is held.

The locator may lag the person’s true current location by a short period, particularly right after an intake or a transfer. When a result appears out of date, re-checking it after a few days, or contacting the listed institution, can confirm the current placement.

Reception and classification

Newly sentenced people do not go directly to a long-term prison. Where a person starts depends on sex:

• Men are received at Dodge Correctional Institution in Waupun, the statewide men’s intake and reception center.
• Women are received at Taycheedah Correctional Institution in Fond du Lac, the statewide women’s intake and reception center.

During intake a person is evaluated and assigned a security level, which determines the type of institution to which they are subsequently transferred. Visiting privileges are limited during intake status: a person on assessment-and-evaluation (“A&E”) status may have up to four adult close-family visitors, and a visitor must be approved before visiting can begin. See Visiting in Wisconsin.

How transfers work

WI DOC reclassifies and moves people among its institutions based on security level, programming, and bed space. WI DOC does not run a general service that notifies families when someone is transferred. For a family member tracking where someone is held, the Offender Locator Public above is the practical tool — check it again after a move, keeping in mind that it may take a short time to reflect a new placement.

Planned realignment

A 2025 state plan would reorganize part of the Wisconsin prison system. Under that plan, Green Bay Correctional Institution is slated to close around 2029, and Waupun Correctional Institution would convert from a maximum-security to a medium-security vocational prison. As of mid-2026, only planning funds had been approved, and both Green Bay and Waupun remained open. Because facility assignments can change as the plan proceeds, confirming a person’s current institution on the locator before traveling reflects the most accurate placement.

Verify Before Acting

For the general, nationwide overview of this topic, see the national guide: Visiting Basics.