Help End Prison Gerrymandering Prison gerrymandering funnels political power away from urban communities to legislators who have prisons in their (often white, rural) districts. More than two decades ago, the Prison Policy Initiative put numbers on the problem and sparked the movement to end prison gerrymandering.

Can you help us continue the fight? Thank you.

—Peter Wagner, Executive DirectorDonate
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Importing Constituents:
Prisoners and Political Clout in Wisconsin

By John Hejduk and Peter Wagner
Prison Policy Initiative
March 2008
Section:

Appendix A. Incarcerated populations in Wisconsin Assembly districts.
DistrictRepresentative (2008)PartyPrisoners (state and federal)Black prisonersLatino PrisonersDistrict populationPopulation DeviationPercent of district that is incarceratedPercent deviation without prisonersWhite populationBlack populationLatino populationPercent Black poplation incarceratedPercent Latino population incarcerated
1Garey BiesR12046453,973-2060.2%-0.6%52,67516547327.9%0.8%
2Frank LaseeR00054,191120%0%52,2901697010%0%
3Alvin OttR00054,121-580%-0.1%52,2062055400%0%
4Phil MontgomeryR1,9366604654,4282493.6%-3.1%51,2461,03962763.5%7.3%
5Tom NelsonD00053,950-2290%-0.4%48,8471577120%0%
6Gary TauchenR00054,168-110%0%51,3311106650%0%
7Margaret KrusickD00054,176-30%0%48,9907262,7090%0%
8Pedro A. ColónD00054,074-1050%-0.2%12,9423,75433,6020%0%
9Josh ZepnickD00054,204250%0%33,4701,94415,4040%0%
10Annette WilliamsD00054,3121330%0.2%11,10139,1632,6930%0%
11Jason FieldsD00053,971-2080%-0.4%12,98137,1121,4250%0%
12Frederick P. KesslerD00054,245660%0.1%28,52021,2051,7330%0%
13David CullenD00053,940-2390%-0.4%48,2212,1031,9610%0%
14Leah VukmirR00054,5964170%0.8%50,5071,1001,0930%0%
15Tony StaskunasD4938353,811-3680.1%-0.8%49,8916641,8995.7%0.2%
16Leon YoungD8360354,3491700.2%0.2%11,82136,9923,0290.2%0.1%
17Barbara TolesD00054,204250%0%14,22336,2011,3930%0%
18Tamara D. GrigsbyD00054,136-430%-0.1%12,39334,2362,6920%0%
19Jon RichardsD4939254,272930.1%0.1%45,0192,8023,7191.4%0.1%
20Christine SinickiD00054,217380%0.1%48,3925913,2910%0%
21Mark HonadelR00054,3021230%0.2%49,0888792,5140%0%
22Sheldon WassermanD00054,3611820%0.3%47,0863,9951,0870%0%
23Jim OttR00053,867-3120%-0.6%42,1798,5541,1450%0%
24Suzanne JeskewitzR00053,848-3310%-0.6%51,6377285970%0%
25Bob ZiegelbauerD00053,825-3540%-0.7%50,5782681,0760%0%
26Terry Van AkkerenD00054,043-1360%-0.3%46,3235093,0710%0%
27Steve KestellR1,2406379953,907-2722.3%-2.8%51,78880759578.9%16.6%
28Ann HraychuckD00054,4042250%0.4%52,6171684370%0%
29John MurthaR10342554,3561770.2%0.1%52,27128043015.0%1.2%
30Kitty RhoadesR00054,234550%0.1%52,6862365040%0%
31Stephen NassR00054,4232440%0.5%52,1292471,3930%0%
32Thomas LothianR00054,103-760%-0.1%48,3644654,5470%0%
33Scott NewcomerR00053,760-4190%-0.8%51,4354689980%0%
34Dan MeyerR12447554,275960.2%-0.1%51,06019341324.4%1.2%
35Donald FriskeR00054,165-140%0%52,7561954620%0%
36Jeffrey L. MursauR00054,178-10%0%46,5412385270%0%
37Andy JorgensenD11554354,045-1340.2%-0.5%51,3212521,75721.4%0.2%
38Joel KleefischR00054,6024230%0.8%52,2451841,4950%0%
39Jeff FitzgeraldR1,4726709754,6154362.7%-1.9%51,8248361,39180.1%7.0%
40Kevin PetersenR00053,966-2130%-0.4%52,4161437490%0%
41Joan BallwegR00054,242630%0.1%52,3201681,1760%0%
42J.A. HinesR2,05283431954,206273.8%-3.7%50,9411,0381,13680.3%28.1%
43Kim HixsonD00053,869-3100%-0.6%50,3679521,7320%0%
44Mike SheridanD00054,264850%0.2%50,6141,1151,5180%0%
45Chuck BenedictD00054,134-450%-0.1%43,4295,9013,5840%0%
46Gary HeblD00054,206270%0%51,1931,1129470%0%
47Eugene HahnR00054,3131340%0.2%52,4403168620%0%
48Joseph T. ParisiD00053,949-2300%-0.4%48,7762,1441,5240%0%
49Phil GarthwaiteD1671041254,133-460.3%-0.4%53,02829829434.9%4.1%
50Sheryl AlbersR00054,3551760%0.3%52,5891766800%0%
51Steve HilgenbergD00054,274950%0.2%53,0921525820%0%
52John F. TownsendR9794264254,3001211.8%-1.6%50,7399041,36647.1%3.1%
53Carol OwensR5,1312,09822054,036-1439.5%-9.7%49,8662,34286589.6%25.4%
54Gordon HintzR00054,052-1270%-0.2%50,4005238760%0%
55Dean KaufertR00053,872-3070%-0.6%50,4773601,6570%0%
56Roger RothR00054,199200%0%51,8373029670%0%
57Steve WieckertR00053,921-2580%-0.5%48,6236511,3810%0%
58Pat StrachotaR00053,922-2570%-0.5%52,3551667520%0%
59Daniel LeMahieuR00054,138-410%-0.1%52,7281466580%0%
60Mark GottliebR00053,975-2040%-0.4%52,3012687120%0%
61Robert TurnerD4042064254,3051260.7%-0.5%32,23512,7738,3291.6%0.5%
62Cory MasonD1,40575414454,049-1302.6%-2.8%41,9656,5194,46711.6%3.2%
63Robin J. VosR251907054,171-80.5%-0.5%50,8669051,4409.9%4.9%
64James KreuserD00054,4803010%0.6%41,3105,3626,4410%0%
65John SteinbrinkD108611054,017-1620.2%-0.5%47,0802,3233,1922.6%0.3%
66Samantha KerkmanR00054,108-710%-0.1%51,1594781,6850%0%
67Jeffrey WoodR00054,033-1460%-0.3%53,037902740%0%
68Terry MoultonR00054,140-390%-0.1%50,7963214440%0%
69Scott SuderR00054,3872080%0.4%53,216905510%0%
70Amy Sue VruwinkD00053,885-2940%-0.5%52,2511614590%0%
71Louis J. Molepske, Jr.D00054,4953160%0.6%51,0862671,1300%0%
72Marlin SchneiderD00054,257780%0.1%51,8102196650%0%
73Frank BoyleD7229154,5073280.1%0.5%51,5973694007.9%0.3%
74Gary E. ShermanD7237053,867-3120.1%-0.7%46,77514145026.2%0%
75Mary HublerD00053,981-1980%-0.4%52,2771155120%0%
76Terese BerceauD00054,6194400%0.8%44,6373,8722,4950%0%
77Spencer BlackD00054,158-210%0%44,1842,0271,9580%0%
78Mark PocanD00054,105-740%-0.1%40,8775,2693,9190%0%
79Sondy Pope-RobertsD7053983154,5623831.3%-0.6%49,8421,6171,28024.6%2.4%
80Brett H. DavisR00053,978-2010%-0.4%52,6752305150%0%
81David TravisD00053,823-3560%-0.7%47,8122,5351,5250%0%
82Jeffrey StoneR00054,5453660%0.7%49,9191,6581,3690%0%
83Scott GundersonR00054,262830%0.2%52,6831838170%0%
84Mark GundrumR00054,030-1490%-0.3%51,1423131,0770%0%
85Donna J. SeidelD00054,4432640%0.5%48,3153124990%0%
86Jerry PetrowskiR00053,845-3340%-0.6%51,9521593240%0%
87Mary WilliamsR00054,025-1540%-0.3%52,8251493870%0%
88James SoletskiD00054,095-840%-0.2%43,8161,0525,4090%0%
89John NygrenR00054,4072280%0.4%53,0691634000%0%
90Karl Van RoyR00054,207280%0.1%47,7407651,8730%0%
91Barbara GronemusD00054,5964170%0.8%53,683963810%0%
92Terry MusserR8883383954,4342551.6%-1.2%50,81465381051.8%4.8%
93Jeff SmithD00054,3401610%0.3%51,8593835020%0%
94Michael HuebschR00054,135-440%-0.1%52,0832773950%0%
95Jennifer ShillingD00054,6254460%0.8%49,8489516130%0%
96Lee A. NerisonR2921561654,3081290.5%-0.3%52,87329667952.7%2.4%
97Bill KramerR00054,4112320%0.4%46,7758725,0800%0%
98Rich ZippererR00054,039-1400%-0.3%50,9174216300%0%
99Don PridemoreR00054,024-1550%-0.3%52,3053297270%0%

Sources and methodology

Representative (2008)
The incumbent legislator as of January 2008
Party
Party of incumbent
Prisoners (state and federal)
This is the number of state and federal prisoners incarcerated in the district. The Census publishes the number of incarcerated people in each block in Summary File 1, Table P37. We then identified which incarcerated populations in each block were state or federal prisoners.
Black prisoners
The Census publishes the race of the correctional population at the tract level in Summary File 1, Table PCT17B and at the block level for the total population in Table P7. We used these two data sources to identify the number of Black prisoners incarcerated in state or federal prisons in blocks in each district.
Latino Prisoners
The Census publishes the ethnicity of the correctional population at the tract level in Summary File 1, Table PCT17H and at the block level for the total population in Table P11. We used these two data sources to identify the number of Latino prisoners incarcerated in state or federal prisons in blocks in this district.
District population
This is the district population reported in Statistical Analysis of Wisconsin Legislative Districts, published by the Wisconsin Legislative Reference Bureau.
Population deviation
This is the difference between the ideal district size of 54,179 and the actual district size.
Percent of district that is incarcerated
This is the number of state and federal prisoners divided by the population of the district.
Percent deviation without prisoners
This is the size of the population deviation if prisoners had not been counted as residents of the prison district. It was calculated by taking the district population, subtracting the prison population and dividing the result by the ideal district population of 54,179.
White population
This is the number of people who were "Non-Hispanic White" as reported in Statistical Analysis of Wisconsin Legislative Districts, published by the Wisconsin Legislative Reference Bureau.
Black population
This is the number of people who were "Non-Hispanic Black" as reported in Statistical Analysis of Wisconsin Legislative Districts, published by the Wisconsin Legislative Reference Bureau.
Latino population
This is the number of people who were "Hispanic or Latino" as reported in Statistical Analysis of Wisconsin Legislative Districts, published by the Wisconsin Legislative Reference Bureau.
Percent Black poplation incarcerated
This is the number of Blacks in state or federal prison divided by the number of Blacks in the district.
Percent Latino population incarcerated
This is the number of Latinos in state or federal prison divided by the number of Latinos in the district.

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