i was just wondering if anyone has had any experience with wspf? my man has been there for a year, and i really hate that place!

YEA MY COUSIN WAS THERE BUT RECENTLY GOT SENT TO GBCI. hE WAS LOCKED UP 23 HOURS A DAY. They had a limit of 12 pictures only. Visiting was through video. yea, it sucks.

thanks salty, was your cousin there for seg time, or did he have to do the program there? my man is doing the program, and sept 5th will go to level 5. i was kind of hoping that he would be transfered by chrismas, but he says that won't happen

woah. visitation through video. that doesnt even sound like fun.and WHERE is this prison located at?

it's in a tiny town in the southwest part of wi, called boscobel. video visits, almost no phone, letters read, locked down pretty much 24/7 until you get to level 4, canteen almost nothing until level 4, and then not a whole lot, only 5 tv channels (msnbc, history, discovery, tlc, and pbs) it's horrible!!! any tiny thing, even if it's not a written rule can get you demoted, and when you get out of there, you go back if you get a major ticket!

My cousin spend his first year in the hole there then served 3 more. Even when he wasn't in the hole, it still had to be a horrible time for him. He's a "tough" guy though and always says, "it ain't as bad as it sounds, depends on what type of person you are and how you do your time" But he probably just says this to me so I don't worry about him. I don't understand how Boscobel could be "not so bad" to anyone! They treat people like caged animals there!

I saw a site on the net about how the prisoners there were filing a lawsuit because of the "unusual punishment" there. Appearantly, this was part of the reason the name was changed from supermax, to wisconsin secure protection facility, I guess even the name of the prison was said to be uncalled for. All I can say is everything I've ever heard about this prison..... hasn't been good.

they did file suit, and won! there was supposed to be a settlement agreement changing things there, but from what i can tell, all they've changed is the name! they aren't supposed to place mentally ill people there anymore, but from what my man tells me, some of those people are seriously disturbed...like the one who has an invisible cellie, and the one who smears feces on the wall. he also says it's very stressful, but that it's not as bad as i think it is. what's stressful to him is the games they play there, the unwritten rules that change from person to person. he says you have to be on your toes all the time, if you slip up even a tiny bit, they'll write you up, and can demote you. so far he hasn't been written up, and he's been there over a year. the closest he came was when he touched his milk before the co gave him permission, but all they did was yell at him, and take his food away.

I have a brother there at WSPF. He is in for forgery and has been siiting doing his time now for 11 years. He was sent to WSPF when it first opened and is still on level 3. Something is wrong with the way that prison is ran. He is a non violent offender and is 56 yrs. old. I don't think they will ever let him out of there because they need the inmates there too make WSPF look like it was needed. That is one vile place. The staffing is just as bad. Warden Berg thinks he own's the place and does what ever he feels. Something is wrong with our WI DOC when they can allow such inhumane treatment of citizens of the U.S. Most do not belong there and are sent there for fighting the system. They at WI DOC are worried that us WI taxpayers will see and hear who the real crooks are.:mad:

i agree it's a vile place maggie! my man is at level 5 now, and is supposed to have had his exit hearing monday or tuesday...i'm waiting for a letter to tell me what happened. there is definately something wrong with the way it's run! the slightest thing happens there, and they demote a person. good luck to your brother...there was no reason for my man to be there either, he hasn't done anything violent or dangerous. i'll let ya know how the process goes for him to get out of there.

my post above was something I found on a google search about the "supermax" prison, boscobel sp? I couldn't remember the name of it.

My husband was at the supermax for 10 months. He was one of the first people to make it out. He was there from April 2000-Febuary 2001.

In my files I probably have some of the rules from Supermax, he wasn't able to send them out while there. Once he got to Waupun he sent them out to me and I forwarded them to the lawyer representing the inmates who filed suit. I will look for them if anyone is interested!

PRC said my husband had to do another stretch there, my husband appealed to the warden and the warden approved him to be transferred out!

the closest he came was when he touched his milk before the co gave him permission,

wow

anyone on here? I'm not sure how to do this. I'm not sure where this letter is going? Can someone help me to understand how to talk with you people?

This is a posting board, you post something then others will answer or add to it. It is different than a chat room because you never know who is reading it and when they are reading it. If you want to contact someone direct just send them a PM. We will have our chat room back soon after the first of the year. Love Barb

Tearful I hope everything goes well for you and your man, Warden Berge don't like letting anyone out of there. All the prayers in the world are with you and yor man. I hate what that place stands for it's just a Ignorant place, with ignorant staffing that play by no rules but they're own made up rules. Personally I'd love to see a whole new staffing with a mission for true reform get in there and do something good for the inmates and their futures.

thanks maggie! i think the place is horrible, and needs to be redone from top to bottom! my man is waiting to hear the results of his exit hearing right now...he's completed the program. if the warden approves his transfer out then he'll see prc this month and hopefully will be out of there in the next 60 days sometime. but the way they do things there is so weird i worry all the time that they'll make him stay longer even though he's done everything they told him to do. they read all his mail now...incoming and outgoing, it's sent to his unit manager and she reads it before he gets it. i won't feel comfortable until he's out of that dungeon!

tearful: did your man make it out? my man just got moved there from out of state and from what i am reading i am now very scared.

yes, my man is out of the dungeon ashley...it's survivable. keep your chin up sweetie, i'll be happy to help you with whatever i can.

tearful, thanks chica. I sent you an email.

HI, I just wrote on another wisconsin forum. Is it true that the read letters in the supermax???Because my penpal is there and he told me that they don't read letters. I read also here that they are allowed to have pictures but he told me that he isn't. I have to send them in a special way.
Once when I have enough money I will go to visit him but he don't want me right now because of the video visits.

HI, I just wrote on another wisconsin forum. Is it true that the read letters in the supermax???Because my penpal is there and he told me that they don't read letters. I read also here that they are allowed to have pictures but he told me that he isn't. I have to send them in a special way.
Once when I have enough money I will go to visit him but he don't want me right now because of the video visits.
Yes they read the mail and they can and do xerox it if they want to. Any supermax does this. They can have pics but only so many in their cell so maybe he doesn't want to have too many? When did he go there? The higher the level they are on the more stuff they can have.

Welcome Nicoletta. There are many people here from Europe as well as other countries. I'd love to hear about your experiences writing your friend, and what you have learned.

hi nicoletta! my man recently completed the program at wspf, and i'll be happy to try to answer any questions you have about the place. it was my experience that the mail was all read, also all phone calls were monitored and recorded, and often gone over afterwards. the only exception is legal mail. yes, they can have pictures, but only a few, and they are allowed more as they move up through the levels. do you know if your pen pal is there to do the program, or is he doing seg time? there are different rules for each group. the video visiting is not too great, one hour, and the equipment sometimes messes up.

Hi everybody, thanks for the warm welcome!
My penpal is doing seg time since one and a half year. Slowly it is making him crazy. He told me that in his last letter. He is having a hard time since his neighbour has moved.
The only way I can send pictures to him is to copy them and to write around on the front and the whole back page. He is in prison already for a long, long time. 19 years actually. He is still hoping for his parole but I believe that that must be a dream. I believe it is almost impossible to move quickly from seg to the outside. I know once the day will come and we build already a strong friendship, but when he be outside I will fly directly to him.

I'am writing with him since june last year and there are more than 2 letters a week. The only problem is that I don't know exactly the rules. Just before some weeks I have sent him a book by amazon and they didn't give it to him. They keep it in his property. I was thinking about sending him some kind of a present like a sportshirt but will he get that??????
Since two months I am on his visitor's list so I can visit him if I want to. I do also have two penpals in Bangkok and those I visited also. But the money is still a problem. Does anyone about the possibility's of stay? Do I need to take a taxi or can I go by bus? Is there a (cheap)hotel near the prison?? What can I expect if I visit him? Do I have to wear also there an underskirt?

Sorry for al my questions but I am very glad to find a place where people know more about Wisconsin.

I don't know how sentences go in Wisc. Some states you have a set time of your sentence, others you go before a parole board and it is "indeterminate" or not exactly determined. I always call up the prison to get the info on mail, and books. I am sure you can't send him a shirt of any kind. I bet some of the people with loved ones at this prison know about the rules concerning books. If not, I have free long distance and am willing to call and ask them and then PM you with the information.
I hope others know about how you can get from the airport to the prison! I am in MN, and have the space to have someone stay here at my house in St Paul, but I am probably a long ways away. Perhaps there is a member near the prison that you could stay with. When I have visited my loved ones, I have stayed at a ramada, or others like it, for about $45 a night, quite cheap.

There is a super 8 motel in boscobel. that's the closest place to stay. no you can't send a jogging suit or anything. your visit will be for an hour thru a tv i believe. check this out before you make the trip. i was told we can send books from amazon so i hope my man gets the ones i just sent!

Hi, yes he told me also that he was allowed tor receive books but because of his seg time he isn't allowed to have them. Does your man also have seg time Ashley??

The hotel is a good option. One hour is not much. Maybe there can be a possibility to visit some days more than only once a week? Do they have limited visits?? I heard from some other ladies who are visiting their friends there can be made an exception because we come from Europe.

CET don't you think that he will be in trouble if you call about his sebtence?? Here in The Netherlands the organisation where I get his name from told us that we never should call the prison because they can be in trouble for that.

The rules and the sentences are so much different from here. I was trying to find more info of his case on the internet (off course with his permission) but there isn't anything. He tried to explain it to me several times but it isn't that easy and also he doesn't no because he is going several times to court to get out of seg. His last case has been denied and he is a little depressed now. He was thinking about taking medicines. Is that normal? Do your men that too?? I had a hard time the last months so I couldn't write him that much as I want to, but I know now that he is in serious problems. He wrote me a very sweet letter but I could feel the anger in it. I feel so sorry for him. For this reason I'am thinking of visit him. What do you think, is there a possibilty of doing a suprise?? Or is this not good for him to overwelm him like that??

niceoletta: you can only visit one hour. you can get an extra hour if you call the counselor in advance. they will not give you more than 2 hours. you have to be in his visitor's list and you have to arrange it ahead of time. a suprise will probably not work and i don't advise it

nicoletta, that's why i asked if he was doing seg time or the program...if he were in the program, he'd be able to recieve books, as long as they came from a bookstore, or amazon, and a reciept is enclosed. the rules are different if they are there for seg time. also there are no levels in the seg portion, and they have the same rules the whole time they're there. the good thing is they don't have to jump through a bunch of silly hoops to get out, when their seg time is up they get out. i thought the longest anyone could be there for seg time was 1 year, but i could be wrong. administrative seg can't be longer than 360 days consecutively...they do what's called 360 turnarounds, 360 days in, 5 days out, 360 days in. but at wspf it may be different. the photo thing may be a seg rule too, but when my man was there, he could have pictures.

Unfortunately tearfulclown, Rick is already more than one year. He should be out from 15th of February this year and than he stayed one year. But Unfortunately they changed his seg time in I believe administrative seg. He hasn't changed his cell or anything else. They just call it differently..... I hate it!!!!
I really understand why he is getting crazy.

Well one hour visit is almost nothing. I don't know what to do. I want to help him to keep his head up high but I can not do much. If I had the money it will be no discussion but now I haven't.... I just keep on writing him a lot.

Does one of your men also have a penpal? Does it makes you jealous?

nicoletta: I don't give out my man's info to anyone and I don't encourage him to have penpals with women he doesn't not know

In IL prisons when you visit and come over 300 miles, you can write the warden in advance, giving the days of the visits, and ask for extended visits. I don't hesitate to call the prison. I guess I wouldn't ask about the sentence, because I think you should get the info from the inmate. But I sure call before visiting a new prison ( my foster son has been in three in a little over a year and I have a guy in stateville) and get the visiting rules down, get all the info I can on ID"s required, etc. For example, if you get two visits a month, you can visit at the end of the month, beginning of the next. There are things you can do to maximize your visit time. Also you can call the counselor and ask about what you can send. You can send your friend things like crosswords, interesting photos and articles, 3D pictures ( from a book I got in bookstore). Lots of mail really helps when you're in seg. If you can send books that is great. The prison can tell you what is ok. They often have to be paperbacks and sent from a bookstore. in IL I can send used books.

Hi,

Ashely, do you know that in the prisons there also possibilities to get a penpal from outside? By an organisation called Inside-Outside I received the name of my penpal.

CET, thank you very much for this helpfull information!!

kind regards

nicoletta: yes i know that but i do not encourage it with my man. he can write his family, friends, dudes he meets , me and his kids.

Hi everybody, thanks for the warm welcome!
My penpal is doing seg time since one and a half year. Slowly it is making him crazy. He told me that in his last letter. He is having a hard time since his neighbour has moved.
The only way I can send pictures to him is to copy them and to write around on the front and the whole back page. He is in prison already for a long, long time. 19 years actually. He is still hoping for his parole but I believe that that must be a dream. I believe it is almost impossible to move quickly from seg to the outside. I know once the day will come and we build already a strong friendship, but when he be outside I will fly directly to him.

I'am writing with him since june last year and there are more than 2 letters a week. The only problem is that I don't know exactly the rules. Just before some weeks I have sent him a book by amazon and they didn't give it to him. They keep it in his property. I was thinking about sending him some kind of a present like a sportshirt but will he get that??????
Since two months I am on his visitor's list so I can visit him if I want to. I do also have two penpals in Bangkok and those I visited also. But the money is still a problem. Does anyone about the possibility's of stay? Do I need to take a taxi or can I go by bus? Is there a (cheap)hotel near the prison?? What can I expect if I visit him? Do I have to wear also there an underskirt?

Sorry for al my questions but I am very glad to find a place where people know more about Wisconsin.

HI,
im writing you from wisconsin and you would be welcome to stay at my place and then drive you down to see him. you can pm me and i can check for information as well. im familiar with the prisons and etc here, but how to bangkok prisons work.

I don't know how sentences go in Wisc. Some states you have a set time of your sentence, others you go before a parole board and it is "indeterminate" or not exactly determined. I always call up the prison to get the info on mail, and books. I am sure you can't send him a shirt of any kind. I bet some of the people with loved ones at this prison know about the rules concerning books. If not, I have free long distance and am willing to call and ask them and then PM you with the information.
I hope others know about how you can get from the airport to the prison! I am in MN, and have the space to have someone stay here at my house in St Paul, but I am probably a long ways away. Perhaps there is a member near the prison that you could stay with. When I have visited my loved ones, I have stayed at a ramada, or others like it, for about $45 a night, quite cheap.

HI,
i was wondering if you know any info on any county jails in mn because im looking at serving a sentence there starting next friday because i would lke to know what im allowed to bring, what i can wear,visitation, and what will happen once i enter the jail? thank you in advance and you can pm me.