Natalie Yahr

Wisconsin was the first U.S. state to let some incarcerated people work in the community. Prisoners now say there aren’t enough of these jobs to go around.

Natalie Yahr | Wisconsin Watch This story was produced and originally published by Wisconsin Watch , a nonprofit, nonpartisan newsroom.

Susan Webb Yackee, director of the La Follette School of Public Affairs, poses for a portrait in her office on Dec. 3, 2025, at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Starting in fall 2026, undergraduate students can major in public policy at the La Follette School.

Lawmakers want to expand the Work Opportunity Tax Credit, which for three decades has rewarded companies that hire people with barriers to employment. New research shows it doesn't work.

Both parties have called for ending 'orphan tax.' Why hasn't it happened? Get a daily rundown of the top stories on Urban Milwaukee

For the first time in decades, Wisconsin prisoners will be able to apply to have their sentences commuted, Gov. Tony Evers announced last week. Wisconsin Watch talked to three experts about how prisoners and their families can learn more and prepare.

For every 10 people released from Wisconsin’s prisons, just seven find jobs within two years — even as the state’s ongoing worker shortage leaves many employers scrambling to find the help they need.

The Federal Bonding Program, established in 1966, offers “fidelity bonds” to reimburse businesses for losses if the covered employee steals or commits fraud.

This story was produced and originally published by Wisconsin Watch, a nonprofit, nonpartisan newsroom. It was made possible by donors like you.

Women prisons the most overcrowded. 'They just cram us in wherever they can.' Get a daily rundown of the top stories on Urban Milwaukee