Friday, January 9, 2009                      Contact: John Dipko (608) 240-5060

For Immediate Release                                      Rachel Krueger (608) 240-5011

 

DOC Secretary Raemisch Appoints New Administrator to Oversee Agency’s Division of Adult Institutions

William Grosshans’ Community Corrections Experience to Enhance Reentry Efforts in Adult Prison System

 MADISON – Wisconsin Department of Corrections (DOC) Secretary Rick Raemisch today announced the appointment of William Grosshans as the new Administrator of the Division of Adult Institutions (DAI). Grosshans is currently Assistant Administrator of the Division of Community Corrections (DCC), a position he has held since 2003.

“I am pleased that Bill is taking on this new role with the Department’s leadership team, Secretary Raemisch said. “His extensive background in community corrections and his top-level management experience will be tremendous assets to our adult prison division. We know that 97 percent of inmates in our system will one day finish their prison terms and return to the community, and Bill’s leadership will be crucial as we pursue strategies that promote offender success in the community from the moment they enter our prison system.”

Adult Institutions is the largest of the Department’s four divisions. As DAI Administrator, Grosshans will oversee a system of adult correctional facilities and correctional centers, which together house more than 22,000 inmates. He also will have supervisory authority over the Division’s Bureau of Offender Classification and Movement, the Bureau of Correctional Enterprises, the Bureau of Health Services and the Planning and Operations Unit.

“Wisconsin’s prison system has a long and distinguished history of managing inmates in a safe, secure and humane manner,” Grosshans said. “I am honored to receive this appointment, and I look forward to working closely with DAI staff to continue carrying out this mission efficiently and effectively, while strengthening the Department’s Reentry Initiative.”

Grosshans began his corrections career in 1977 in Iowa as a Correctional Officer at the Iowa Men’s Reformatory. He moved to Wisconsin the following year and worked as a state Probation and Parole Agent until 1984, when he became a Public Information Officer for the state corrections agency. He entered the management ranks in 1985 as a Unit Supervisor for Probation and Parole in the Southern Region, and he advanced to the role of Assistant Regional Chief in 1989 and Regional Chief in 1990. For 13 years, Grosshans held several Administrator-level positions, overseeing Divisions such as Juvenile Corrections and Community Corrections. He has been the DCC’s Assistant Administrator since 2003 and was Acting Administrator from 2005-06.

Grosshans graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Platteville with a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice. He succeeds former DAI Administrator John Bett, who recently retired from state service. Grosshans’ appointment takes effect January 18. A search for a new DCC Assistant Administrator will begin soon.

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1/9/2009