Prairie du Chien Correctional Institution (PDCI) is a minimum-security facility for adult male offenders. The basic vision and objectives of the institution are to protect the public, our staff and those in our charge; provide opportunities for positive change and success; promote, inform, and educate others about our programs and successes; and to partner and collaborate with community service providers and other criminal justice entities.

Institution Information

The majority of PDCI’s buildings were originally constructed in the mid-1900s. The facility originally served as a Jesuit High School and later as a Lutheran Preparatory High School. The State of Wisconsin purchased the facility in 1995 to be used as a juvenile correctional institution for non-assaultive male youthful offenders within the Division of Juvenile Corrections (DJC). Due to a decrease in the juvenile offender population, the Legislature authorized the Department to temporally utilize the facility within the Division of Adult Institutions (DAI) in 1997. DJC subsequently contracted 302 beds at PDCI to DAI, allowing the facility to serve as a medium-security correctional institution for youthful offenders, ranging in age from 15 to 21 years, with adult sentences. PDCI began to operate in this capacity on July 3, 1997. On July 1, 2003, DAI permanently took over administration of the facility from DJC and the PDCI began housing adult inmates. The operating capacity increased to 424 as of August of 2003. PDCI operated as a medium security facility until May of 2021, when it transitioned to a minimum-security correctional facility within the DAI.