| Location | Portage, Wisconsin |
|---|---|
| Status | Operational |
| Security class | Maximum |
| Capacity | 541 males (operating) |
| Population | 827 males (as of FY 2008) |
| Opened | May 1986 |
| Managed by | Wisconsin Department of Corrections Division of Adult Institutions |
| Director | Gregory D. Grams |
Columbia Correctional Institution, (CCI), is an adult male maximum-security correctional facility operated by the Wisconsin Department of Corrections Division of Adult Institutions in Portage, Wisconsin. The facility was constructed on 110 acres (0.45 km2) at a cost of $38.6 million dollars. It has 27 acres (110,000 m2) inside the perimeter fence. Columbia Correctional Institution opened in May 1986, with an original capacity of 450 inmates housed in single bed cells. In 1997, a 150 bed barracks was constructed for minimum security inmates and over time many of the single bed cells have been converted to double bed cells. The current operating capacity is 541. The average daily population for 2007 was 839.[1]
Gregory D. Grams, the fifth warden, has been in that position since March 2005.[2][3]
In 1988, a sculpture entitled Chromatic Fragments - Vortex to the Sky by artist and University of Illinois Professor of Art Christiane Martens was installed in the parking area of the prison. The 20-foot (6.1 m) tall painted steel sculpture cost $50,000.[4]
According to the Wisconsin State Journal and the Portage Daily Register, in 2007 and 2008 two female staff members were accused of having sex with inmates at the prison. A 42-year-old cafeteria worker who was accused of sex with an inmate in the prison freezer pleaded no contest to a lesser charge in 2007. In 2008, a 45-year-old female corrections officer was charged with multiple counts of second degree sexual assault. The use of force was not alleged in either situation, but Wisconsin law does not allow prisoners to consent to sex with prison staff. Punishment can be up to 40 years in prison, and a large fine.[5]
Contents |
Some nationally and locally notorious individuals who have been incarcerated at CCI include: