Mortality Data and Related Policies, 2000-2020

COVID Prison Project filed this request with the Department of Corrections of Wisconsin.
Tracking #

R016222-041723
Submitted May 20, 2021
Status
Completed

From: COVID Prison Project

Subject: Wisconsin Open Records Act Request: Mortality Data and Related Policies, 2000-2020

Portal

Anna Neal
Deputy Communications Directory
Wisconsin Department of Corrections
3099 East Washington Ave.
Madison, WI 53704

To Anna Neal:

Pursuant to the Wisconsin Open Records Law, §19.31 et seq., I hereby request the following records:

– Those which include time and date of all instances of death occurring in the offender population between January 2000 and December 2020.

– Those which indicate the total number of individuals in Wisconsin Department of Corrections (WDOC) custody who died by any cause, separated monthly, from January 2000 to December 2020.

– Monthly population records that include the total number of deaths occurring among people in the custody of the WDOC between January 2000 and December 2020.

– Final reports of death for all individuals in WDOC custody who died between January 2000 and December 2020.

Additionally, I am requesting an opportunity to inspect or obtain copies of any and all WDOC policies, regulations, and procedures, pertaining to...

– Investigations of in-custody deaths.

– Requirements for the performance of an autopsy or post-mortem medical examination of individuals who die while in WDOC custody.

– The reporting of in-custody deaths to other governmental agencies.

– Next-of-kin notification in the event of in-custody deaths.

The requested documents will be made available to the general public, and this request is not being made for commercial purposes.

In the event that there are fees, I would be grateful if you would inform me of the total charges in advance of fulfilling my request. I would prefer the request filled electronically, by e-mail attachment if available or CD-ROM if not. However, we respectfully request a waiver of these fees as we are affiliated with an educational or noncommercial scientific institution, and this request is made for a scholarly or scientific purpose and not for a commercial use.

I would request a response in writing, within the 5 days described by law, if you intend to deny this request. I would also request that you please provide a written explanation for the denial including a reference to the specific statutory exemption(s) upon which you rely. Also, please provide all segregable portions of otherwise exempt material.

Thank you in advance for your anticipated cooperation in this matter.

Sincerely,

Forrest Behne
Policy Director, COVID Prison Project
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Office: (919) 391-7962
340 MacNider Hall | Campus Box 7240
333 South Columbia Street
Chapel Hill, NC 27599-7240

From: Department of Corrections

Subject: Public Records Request-R :: R016222-041723

Portal

Dear Forrest Behne:
This email acknowledges receipt of your Department of Corrections public records request .  Your request has been received and is being processed in accordance with Wisconsin's Public Records Law (Wis. Stat. §§ 19.31 - 19.37). Your request was received in this office on 4/17/2023 and given the reference number R016222-041723 for tracking purposes. Records Requested: See attached letter.
Your request is being forwarded to the appropriate records custodians for processing. You will be contacted about any cost associated with your request and when the records responsive to your request, if any, are ready. PLEASE NOTE: Wisconsin Public Records Law (Wis. Stat. §§ 19.31 - 19.37) does not require a governmental body to create new information, do legal research, or answer questions.
You can monitor the progress of your request at the link below and you'll receive an email when your request has been completed.  Thank you for using the Public Records Center.
Wisconsin Department of Corrections

From: Department of Corrections

Subject: Wisconsin Department of Corrections Public Records Center Public Records Request-R :: R016222-041723

Portal

--- Please respond above this line ---


RE: Public Records Request of April 17, 2023, Reference # R016222-041723.
Dear Forrest Behne:
The Wisconsin Department of Corrections received a public records request from you on April 17, 2023. Your request mentioned: Instances of death January 2000 to December 2020
In your letter you reference a prior request in 2021 for these records.  We cannot find record of  having received that request.  Therefore, we are entering this as a new request today.  If you find that we provided a public records request tracking number previously, please provide that number and we can again search our historical records for more information.
If you have any questions or need additional information, please feel free to log into your request in the public records portal and send us a message by clicking on the New Message button at the top.
Sincerely,
ORM Team

Office of Records Management

From: Department of Corrections

Subject: Wisconsin Department of Corrections Public Records Center Public Records Request-R :: R016222-041723

Portal

--- Please respond above this line ---

RE: Public Records Request of April 17, 2023, Reference # R016222-041723.
Dear Forrest Behne:
The Wisconsin Department of Corrections received a public records request from you on April 17, 2023. Your request mentioned: "See attached letter."
We do not have record of your request "submitted on May 20, 2021." However, we are continuing to collect the requested data for Jan. 2000 to Dec. 2020 from the request entered into our system on April 17, 2023. We do not have an exact time for when the records will be ready.
Sincerely,
Office of Public Affairs

OOS-OPA

From: Department of Corrections

Subject: Wisconsin Department of Corrections Public Records Center Public Records Request-R :: R016222-041723

Portal

--- Please respond above this line ---

RE: Public Records Request of April 17, 2023, Reference # R016222-041723.
Dear Forrest Behne:
The Wisconsin Department of Corrections received a public records request from you on April 17, 2023. Your request mentioned: "See attached letter."
Your request is in progress, you will be notified once it is completed.  The Department of Corrections receives a high volume of public records requests.  We are processing all requests as quickly as possible.  Thank you for your patience.
Sincerely,
Office of Public Affairs

OOS-OPA

From: Department of Corrections

Subject: Wisconsin Department of Corrections Public Records Center Public Records Request-R :: R016222-041723

Portal

--- Please respond above this line ---

RE: Public Records Request of April 17, 2023, Reference # R016222-041723.
Dear Forrest Behne:
The Wisconsin Department of Corrections received a public records request from you on April 17, 2023. Your request mentioned: "See attached letter."
Your request is in progress, you will be notified once it is completed. The Department of Corrections receives a high volume of public records requests.  We are processing all requests as quickly as possible. Thank you for your patience.
Sincerely,
Office of Public Affairs
OOS-OPA

From: Department of Corrections

Subject: Wisconsin Department of Corrections Public Records Center Public Records Request-R :: R016222-041723

Portal

--- Please respond above this line ---

RE: Public Records Request of April 17, 2023, Reference # R016222-041723.
Dear Forrest Behne:
The Wisconsin Department of Corrections received a public records request from you on April 17, 2023. Your request mentioned: "See attached letter."
Your request is in progress, you will be notified once it is completed. The Department of Corrections receives a high volume of public records requests. We are processing all requests as quickly as possible. Thank you for your patience.
Sincerely,
Office of Public Affairs
OOS-OPA

From: Department of Corrections

Subject: Wisconsin Department of Corrections Public Records Center Public Records Request-R :: R016222-041723

Portal

--- Please respond above this line ---

RE: Public Records Request of April 17, 2023, Reference # R016222-041723.
Dear Forrest Behne:
The Wisconsin Department of Corrections received a public records request from you on April 17, 2023. Your request mentioned: "See attached letter."
Your request is in progress, you will be notified once it is completed.  The Department of Corrections receives a high volume of public records requests.  We are processing all requests as quickly as possible.  Thank you for your patience.
Sincerely,
Office of Public Affairs

OOS-OPA

From: Department of Corrections

Subject: Wisconsin Department of Corrections Public Records Center Public Records Request-R :: R016222-041723

Portal

--- Please respond above this line ---

RE: Public Records Request of April 17, 2023, Reference # R016222-041723.
Dear Forrest Behne:
The Wisconsin Department of Corrections received a public records request from you on April 17, 2023. Your request mentioned: “See attached letter.”
The Wisconsin Department of Corrections has reviewed its files and has located records responsive to your request. Please log in to the Public Records Center at the below link to retrieve the responsive records.
Public Records Request-R - R016222-041723
Note that part of your request asked for various “policies, regulations, and procedures.” Policies related to the death of a person in our care are available on our public website at https://doc.wi.gov/Pages/AboutDOC/DepartmentPolicies/DAIPolicies.aspx. Regarding your request for the policy on “performance of an autopsy or post-mortem medical examination,” these are not conducted by the DOC.
Your request for “final reports of death” is unclear, but please understand that time and cause of death is determined by the county medical examiner and not the DOC. They may be better suited to address these aspects of your request, but you are welcome to provide additional details about the records you seek.
Your public records request is now considered closed.
Sincerely,
Office of Public Affairs
OOS-OPA