In 1939, control of state prisons was transferred to a new "Division of Corrections" established within the new Wisconsin Department of Public Welfare.

In April 2020, the American Civil Liberties Union filed a lawsuit asking the Wisconsin Supreme Court to order Governor Tony Evers and the Department of Corrections to reduce the prison population due to COVID-19.

[9] The Wisconsin Correctional Center System consists of 14 adult male facilities statewide that assist inmates in reintegration to the community.

[13] Facilities that are now closed include: The function of the Division of Community Corrections (DCC) is to supervise offenders (more than 68,000 as of 2017) on probation, parole or extended supervision,[17] which includes the operation and maintenance of the Wisconsin sex offender registry program.

[18] These offenders are supervised by Probation and Parole Agents who use evidence based-practices to enhance public safety by addressing their offender's most influential criminogenic needs to lower their level of recidivism and assist them in building skills needed to be successful in the community.

Agents provide investigative services to the courts and the Parole Commission to aid in sentencing and community reentry planning.