| Location | Waupun, Wisconsin |
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| Status | Operational |
| Security class | Maximum |
| Capacity | 882 males (operating) |
| Population | 1,246 males (as of FY 2008[1]) |
| Opened | 1851 |
| Managed by | Wisconsin Department of Corrections Division of Adult Institutions |
| Director | Jim Schwochert |
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Wisconsin State Prison Historic District
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Photographed by H. H. Bennett in 1893
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| Location: | 200 S. Madison St Waupun, Wisconsin |
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| Built: | 1854 |
| NRHP Reference#: | 91001994 |
| Added to NRHP: | January 22, 1992 |
The Waupun Correctional Institution is a maximum security penitentiary near the center of Waupun, Wisconsin. The prison is currently under the command of Warden William Pollard.
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On July 4, 1851, Governor Nelson Dewey chose the Waupun area to be the site of the state's penitentiary. The first building was completed in 1854, and is still in use today as the South Cell Hall. Many additions were made over the years in 1855, 1906, 1913, 1940 and 1998. The prison was added to the National Register of Historic Places as the "Wisconsin State Prison Historic District" in 1992.[2]
There has never been an execution in the prison, as Wisconsin abolished capital punishment the year before construction of the facility. [3]
On December 3, 2001, Warden Gary Mcaughtry (retired 2004) hired the first Pagan Priestess (Rev. Jamyi J. Witch SMW) to serve as one of the institution's two acting chaplains.[4][5]
On November 14, 2007, Stuart Ellanson, a 38 year old convicted murderer took a dental technician hostage. The prison was placed on lockdown. The incident ended peacefully.[6] Photos of media at standoff.