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WAUPUN, Wis. — The family of Dean Hoffman, who took his own life in Waupun Correction Institution, filed a lawsuit against the Department of Corrections (DOC) and the prison staff alleging they failed to provide adequate mental health care and medications to Hoffman.
On March 29, 2023 the Waupun Correctional Institution went into what it called “modified movement status.”
As of April, inmates have been able to leave their cells to access health care, mental health services, attend religious services, perform job assignments and take part in two periods of recreation per week.
The prison remains in modified movement status because in-person visitations are still suspended and recreation time outside of cells is less than what is outlined under the administrative code.
According to the Department of Corrections, “Modified movement is a status that falls between a lockdown and normal operations and often involves a suspension of some administrative rules relating to prison operations.”
Since the prison went into modified movement status, there have been four deaths.
One of those deaths was Megan Kolb’s father, Dean Hoffman. He took his own life while in solitary confinement at the prison.
Kolb has filed a lawsuit against the Department of Corrections and prison staff. The lawsuit alleges they failed to provide adequate mental health care and medications to Hoffman.
“He had bipolar medication and an antidepressant,” said Kolb. “There were many days where my dad didn’t get any medication at all.”
Hoffman was sentenced to 28 years for kidnapping a woman in 2018. Before his death, Hoffman had been at the Waupun Correctional Institution (WCI) for 80 days.
According to medical records reviewed by Spectrum News and Kolb, during the 80 days Hoffman was incarcerated at WCI, he received his bipolar medication 23% of the time.
During that same period of time, he was given his antidepressant medication 45% of the time.
Kolb said when her dad doesn’t receive his medications, it has a drastic impact on his wellbeing.
“Growing up, he would be in his room for weeks on end,” said Kolb. “As kids we would be like, ‘why is dad not coming out for Christmas?’ He would be in his room or he would not come for visitation, would not pick us up.”
On June 20, Hoffman was placed in solitary confinement for refusing to return to his cell. According to the lawsuit, he said it was because his cellmate threatened him.
He was found dead in solitary confinement on June 29.
The lawsuit alleges no one performed a physiological check on him while he was in solitary.
Through video obtained by Kolb using a Freedom of Information request, she said you can see multiple guards pass by his cell without checking on him during the day of his death.
“We have no idea what time my dad actually died,” said Kolb. “They found him at 6:45 and the guard that was supposed to give him meds walked right past his cell.”
Lonnie Story of Story Law Firm is the attorney handling Kolb’s case. Story said what happened to Hoffman is part of a much larger issue at the prison.
“Her father hanged himself while in solitary confinement. Since that time there have been three other deaths and there has been a ruling on two of those deaths,” said Story. “Not the fourth one which was just Feb. 22 of this year, so I am representing those three families including Mrs. Kolb and the other two.”
Story said Kolb’s case is standing alone as a lawsuit. The other two deaths are part of a class action lawsuit against the Department of Corrections.
“They were eating cold meals when they did get them, they were isolated in their cells 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Those cells are six by nine with two people in them,” said Story. “It was clear to me that this was a solid case to be brought against the Department of Corrections.”
Due to Hoffman’s mental illness, Kolb said she never got to spend much time with her father as a child.
Her hope was that prison would help rehabilitate him and give her the chance to continue getting to know her father.
“We were creating that relationship, so when he died that was a big blow,” said Kolb. “It was like losing him all over again.”
In a response to Spectrum News’ questions regarding Hoffman’s death, the DOC said, “it is the department’s practice not to comment on pending litigation.”
The DOC went on to say, “WCI remains in modified movement status because they are not offering in-person visitation and the amount of leisure time outside of cell is less than outlined under the administrative code.”
According to the DOC Staffing and Vacancy Dashboards on March 28, 2023 (a day before the lockdown began) the prison was at 50% vacancy rate and had 286 full-time correctional officers and sergeants.
It also had 143 openings for full-time correctional officers and sergeants.
In June 2023, the month Hoffman died, WCI was at 52.1% vacancy rate with 149 openings.
As of March 26, there were 154 openings at the prison.
The DOC did not attribute going into “modified movement status” to a shortage of correctional officers or say when things would go back to normal at the prison.
Regarding staffing issues, it said:
“The ability to incrementally increase movement and activities has been largely driven by record-setting academy graduations. DOC’s current vacancy rate for correctional officers and sergeants at adult institutions is 22.2%. The most recent academy class began Feb. 26 and will graduate in April.”
According to the DOC, the prison started receiving 40 additional staff members borrowed from other institutions on March 24.
Currently, only two administrative rules remain suspended at the prison.
The first relates to in-person visitation, which has not restarted there. The second rule relates to the amount of recreation time outside the cell.
Kolb said for her, change has come too late.
She said she understands she can’t bring her father back, but she hopes this lawsuit will help to save lives in the future.
“I want change, I want the rest of the inmates that are in the Wisconsin prison system to get better treatment than my father and I am hoping that we can change everything systemically, so this does not happen to anybody else,” said Kolb.
Read the full lawsuit below: