Helping a Loved One Who is at Dodge Correctional Institution in Wisconsin

Dodge Correctional Institution is the Assessment and Evaluation (A&E) prison for Wisconsin Department of Correction. During the 90 day stay each inmate is given medical, dental and physiological tests. During this time the DOC will use the test to determine which prison will best serve the needs of the inmate.

The court dates are over and your loved one has been sentenced to some time in prison. Emotions are running high and if you are new to the Department of Corrections System in Wisconsin (DOC), there are probably thousands of questions going through your mind. All you know is that your loved one is going to spend some time in prison and they have taken them to the first step in the DOC process, Dodge Correctional Institution. Here are some of the answers to the most common questions that arise when a loved one is sent to prison.

The inmate will be confided to a cell for almost 23 hours a day. There are no electronic devices of any kind allowed in the cells during the A&E process. Boredom will set in fast for your loved one. They will be lost with only their own thoughts to keep them company. The inmate will be provided a bible and be allowed to check out a book of the library cart when it comes around. This being said; mail is very important to the inmate. Write the inmate as often as possible. In the letters you can include, puzzles, jokes and other types of reading material that is printed off of the internet. Do not send the inmate stamps, stamped envelopes nor decorate your letters with stickers. It may be possible to order books from a publisher to be sent directly to the inmate, but it is best to check with the mailroom before doing so. Any item mailed to the inmate that is not approved will be sent back at the inmate's expense.

Visiting at Dodge during the A&E process is very limited. Only family members who are approved visitors. The inmate must send the visitor a form that has to be returned to the prison and approved before a visit may take place. Visits are one to two hours during scheduled times during the week and on weekends. Visit length depends on how long the inmate has been at Dodge. Change that is carried in a clear plastic bag may be taken into the visiting room for vending machine use. Also it is possible to purchase hobby materials during the visit, but Security must be made away of this before the visit. Payment for the materials may be made by check or money order.

Canteen is important to an inmate also. This is the DOC store that allows inmates to purchase hygiene products, writing material, food and other items. During their stay at Dodge the canteen list is limited. Nothing can be ordered from outside vendors and shipped to the inmate. The inmate must do all the ordering from the canteen. The only way to order from canteen is to have money on your books. Money must be sent via money order to the business office at Dodge. The money can not be sent directly to the inmate nor left during a visit. Once they are moved out of Dodge there is a list of approved vendors that one can order from.

The hardest time of a prison sentence may be during the A&E time at Dodge Correctional. Getting use to a new lifestyle, being separated from friends and family and not knowing where you are headed. Writing to your loved one often, providing money for canteen and visiting when possible will help your loved one know they are not forgotten and are still a part of your family.