Wisconsin Legislature: DOC 303.82(3)(a)

(d) Find the inmate guilty or not guilty on each charge and impose a disposition if found guilty. A committee of three may make a decision if at least two of the three members agree. If the committee is comprised of two members, the decision must be unanimous.

(e) Refer the matter to the warden for a decision if the disciplinary committee members do not agree on a finding of guilt or a disposition.

(f) Consider any of the inmate’s defenses or other mitigating factors.

(g) Inform the inmate of the decision.

(h) Provide the accused inmate and the inmate’s staff representative, if any, a written copy of the decision with reasons for the decision.

History: CR 11-022: cr. Register September 2014 No. 705, eff. 1-1-15; correction in numbering in (2) to (6) made under s. 13.92 (4) (b) 1., Stats., September 2014 No. 705.

DOC 303.81 Contested major disposition: waiver of due process hearing.

(1) Notice. If an inmate has waived a due process hearing under s. DOC 303.80 and the violation is not disposed of in accordance with s. DOC 303.78, the institution shall dispose of it in accordance with this section.

(2) Time limits. The institution may not hold the hearing until at least 2 working days after the inmate receives notice of disciplinary hearing rights and a copy of either the approved conduct report or amended conduct report, whichever is later. Unless otherwise authorized by the security director, the institution may not hold the hearing more than 21 calendar days after the inmate receives the hearing rights notice and conduct report. The security director may authorize a hearing beyond the 21 day time limit, either before or after the 21st day. The 21 day time limit is not jurisdictional. The inmate may also request more time to prepare, and the security director may grant the request. An inmate may waive in writing the time limits provided in this section. The institution shall toll time for observation and control placements and for any full or partial day when the inmate is out of the institution on a temporary release order.

(3) Hearing. The inmate has no right to a staff representative, to confront witnesses or to have witnesses testify on the inmate’s behalf. The hearing officer shall conduct the hearing by doing all of the following:

(a) Read the conduct report aloud.

(b) Provide the inmate with an opportunity to respond to the report and make a verbal statement about the alleged violation. No written statement by the accused inmate may be submitted.

(d) Mark all documentary and physical evidence received into evidence from the accused as “Submitted By The Inmate.”

(4) Attendance. If an inmate refuses to attend the hearing or disrupts the hearing and is removed, the inmate forfeits the right to provide a statement or evidence. The hearing officer shall administratively review the conduct report and render a decision based upon the available evidence.

(5) Place. The due process hearing may be held in person, by telephone, video conferencing or other virtual communication means at the discretion of the hearing officer.

(6) Decision. After the hearing the hearing officer shall do all of the following:

(a) Consider all relevant information.

(b) Render a decision on each charge.

(d) Find the inmate guilty or not guilty on each charge and impose a disposition if found guilty.

(e) Consider any of the inmate’s defenses or other mitigating factors.

(f) Inform the inmate of the decision.

(g) Provide the accused inmate a written copy of the decision with reasons for the decision.

History: CR 11-022: cr. Register September 2014 No. 705, eff. 1-1-15; correction in (4) (title) made under s. 13.92 (4) (b) 1., Stats., Register September 2014 No. 705.

DOC 303.82 Appeal of contested major or minor disposition or contested major waiver.

(1) The inmate may appeal a disciplinary decision under s. DOC 303.77, 303.80, or 303.81, including procedural errors, to the warden within 10 days after the inmate receives a copy of the decision.

(2) The warden shall review all records and forms pertaining to the appeal and make the decision within 60 days following receipt of the request for appeal.

(3) The warden’s decision shall be one or more of the following:

(a) Affirm the decision.

(b) Modify all or part of the decision.

(d) Return the case for further consideration, to complete or correct the record, to correct any procedural error, or for rehearing.

(4) The warden’s decision is final regarding the sufficiency of the evidence. An inmate may appeal claims of procedural errors as provided under s. DOC 310.06 (2).

History: CR 11-022: cr. Register September 2014 No. 705, eff. 1-1-15; correction in numbering in (4) made under s. 13.92 (4) (b) 1., Stats., Register September 2014 No. 705; CR 16-054: am. (4), Register March 2018 No. 747 eff. 4-1-18.

DOC 303.83 Due process hearing: staff representative.

(1) At each institution, the warden shall designate staff representatives for inmates in disciplinary hearings at the institution.

(2) If an inmate or staff representative provides information and evidence to the warden that there is a conflict of interest in the case that would impair a staff representative’s ability to perform his or her duties, the warden shall evaluate the information and evidence to determine if a different representative should be assigned.

(3) The role of the staff representative is to help the accused inmate understand the charges against the inmate and to provide direction and guidance regarding the disciplinary process. The staff representative may use discretion in the performance of this role, including gathering relevant evidence and testimony and preparing the inmate’s own statement. The staff representative may speak on behalf of the accused inmate at a disciplinary hearing or may help the inmate prepare to speak.

History: CR 11-022: cr. Register September 2014 No. 705, eff. 1-1-15; correction in (title) made under s. 13.92 (4) (b) 2., Stats., Register September 2014 No. 705.

DOC 303.84 Due process hearing: witnesses.

(1) The accused inmate may make a request to the security director for no more than two identified witnesses in addition to the reporting employee and shall explain the relevance of the witness testimony. The inmate shall make this request within two days of the service of notice of major disciplinary hearing rights. The security director may waive the two day time limit for good cause.

(2) After all witness requests have been received, the security director shall review them to determine whether the witnesses possess relevant information and shall be called.

(3) Written witness statements shall only be accepted if approved by the hearing officer. The hearing officer may consider a legibly printed written statement limited to 500 words on no more than two sheets of paper, a transcript of an oral statement, or a recorded statement.

(4) Witnesses requested by the accused who are staff or inmates shall attend the disciplinary hearing unless one of the following exists:

(a) The risk of harm to the witness if the witness testifies.

(b) The witness is unavailable. Unavailability means death, transfer, release, hospitalization, or escape in the case of an inmate; unavailability means death, illness, vacation, no longer being employed at that location, or being on a different shift in the case of an employee.

(d) The testimony is merely cumulative of other evidence and would unduly prolong the hearing.

(5) If the security director finds that testifying would pose a risk of harm to the witness, the hearing officer may consider a confidential statement signed under oath from that witness without revealing the witness’s identity or a signed statement from an employee getting the statement from that witness. The hearing officer shall reveal the contents of the statement to the accused inmate, except the hearing officer may edit or summarize the statement to avoid revealing the identity of the witness. The hearing officer may question a confidential witness if the witness is available.

(6) The hearing officer may consider written statements that can be corroborated in one of the following ways:

(a) By other evidence which substantially corroborates the facts alleged in the statement, including an eyewitness account by an employee or circumstantial evidence.

(b) By evidence of a very similar violation by the same inmate.

(7) If it is not possible to get a signed statement in accordance with subs. (3) and (5), the hearing officer may consider other evidence of what the witness would say if present.

(8) After determining which witnesses shall be called for the accused inmate, staff shall notify the inmate of the decision in writing.

(9) Witnesses other than inmates or employees may not attend hearings but the staff representative with the hearing officer’s permission may contact them. The hearing officer may designate a staff member to interview the witnesses and report to the hearing officer.

(10) The hearing officer may call additional witnesses as deemed necessary.

(11) After a decision has been reached by the hearing officer, and if a finding of guilt results, the hearing officer shall forward restricted or confidential information to the security director for retention in a restricted file.

History: CR 11-022: cr. Register September 2014 No. 705, eff. 1-1-15.

DOC 303.85 Disposition considerations.

(1) In deciding the disposition for a violation or group of violations, the supervisor making uncontested dispositions or the hearing officer may consider any of the following:

(a) The inmate’s overall disciplinary record, especially during the previous 12 months.

(b) The inmate’s disciplinary record of the same or similar offenses.

(d) The risk of serious injury created by the violation.

(e) The value of the property involved.

(f) The risk of serious financial impact caused by the violation.

(g) Whether the inmate was actually aware that the inmate was committing a crime or offense at the time of the offense.

(h) The motivation for the offense.

(i) The inmate’s attitude toward the offense and toward the victim, if any.

(j) Mitigating factors, including coercion, family difficulties which may have created anxiety, and any special circumstances.

(k) Psychological input as appropriate regarding mental health status of seriously mentally ill inmates at the time of the behavior.

(L) The risk to the security of the institution, inmates, employees or the community caused by the violation.

(m) Any other relevant factors.

(2) A minor penalty may be imposed for a violation where a major penalty could be imposed.

(3) Restitution may be imposed in addition to any other penalty.

(4) Any combination of penalties may be imposed.

History: CR 11-022: cr. Register September 2014 No. 705, eff. 1-1-15.

DOC 303.86 Recordkeeping.

(1) The department may keep records of disciplinary infractions in an inmate’s case record only if one of the following applies:

(a) The inmate was found guilty by uncontested disposition procedure.

(b) The inmate was found guilty by a supervisor or hearing officer.

(2) The department shall make necessary corrections to the record as required by appeal.

(3) The department shall take necessary steps to remove any record of a conduct report if there is an order to expunge.

(4) The department may keep conduct reports which have been dismissed or in which the inmate was found not guilty for statistical purposes, and security reasons, but the department may not consider them in making program assignment, transfer, or release decisions and the department may not include them in any inmate’s record.

History: CR 11-022: cr. Register September 2014 No. 705, eff. 1-1-15.

DOC 303.87 Evidence.

(1) Evidence is relevant if the evidence makes it appear more likely or less likely that the inmate committed the offense of which the inmate is accused.