MADISON, Wis. (WRN) — A new report shows Wisconsin prisons are holding more drunk drivers than ever before.
The Wisconsin Policy Forum reports the number of people incarcerated for operating while intoxicated has more than quadrupled since 2000. Nearly 2,900 people were in state prisons for OWI convictions in 2024, a record high, before dipping slightly last year.
The report says the increase comes despite a sharp decline in OWI arrests. Wisconsin recorded more than 36,000 OWI arrests in 2002, compared to fewer than 19,000 in 2025.
Overall arrests by law enforcement statewide have dropped more than 60% over the last two decades.
