Governor eases lockdowns at Wisconsin prisons amid lawsuit, seeks to improve safety

By SCOTT BAUER
Associated Press

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Lockdowns at two of Wisconsin’s oldest and most understaffed prisons are being eased. The effort announced Tuesday by Gov. Tony Evers comes less than a month after inmates filed a federal lawsuit alleging that current conditions at the Waupun prison amount to cruel and unusual punishment. Evers announced the reduced lockdown along with a host of efforts designed to increase safety for inmates and staff. The moves come amid calls from advocates and families of inmates who say current conditions are inhumane at the deteriorating prisons, including Waupun which Evers visited on Nov. 9.