At Western Wisconsin Technical College (WWTC) students are in jail cells – and not for breaking the law.

Prison cells are built into the classrooms at WWTC as part of hands-on training programs that prepare corrections students to enter the workforce. WWTC offers a number of programs, including corrections training, law training, police training and fire department training. Devoted to public safety avenues, WWTC has developed all of their programs to put students in the situations they will face when they are on the job.

“There is no pretending,” says Patrick Fisher, Coordinator of Criminal Justice programs at WWTC. “The more realistic we make this training for students the better they are going to perform on the job in the real world. The cells in our building are used to teach these students how to go into a cell and work – they do cell searches, deliver a food tray, and experience many other day-to-day procedures they will need to know how to do once they are employed.”

Over 16,000 students have graduated from WWTC since it opened in 1994. As a result of the interest in the corrections program, WWTC recently expanded to accommodate the influx of students applying to the college, building a 9,000-sqaure-foot addition to the college. WWTC has also made an agreement with a local jail that will open its doors to allow student training in a real corrections facility.

Safety and Experience

Fisher says that these programs, such as the jail training, are essential because they give students a strong background in corrections – and a chance to understand safety procedures, defense strategies, and daily procedures within corrections settings.

“Our first goal is teaching these kids the proper way to do their jobs,” Fisher says. “Safety is a top priority, but we also realize that these kids need the exposure to the reality of what they will be doing. The worst thing in the world is to go into this profession and get smacked in the mouth [by an inmate] and have no idea how to handle it or what to do. In our defense program, these kids have to wrestle people to the ground and fight, if necessary, just like in a real corrections situation with an unruly inmate.”

A part of the program's goal of encouraging exposure to the corrections field, members of the faculty at WWTC typically have a background in the field. Every professor at WWTC is a retired corrections official, who has had experience in a number of areas relating to corrections. According to Fisher the faculty, combined, has about 200 years of experience in corrections. Professors use their experiences to give students insight into the field, and are often used as mentors. The number of retired professionals will increase now that the WWTC program is expanding. Many professionals at WWTC are experts in their fields, including a weapons instructor that teaches students firearm safety measures and requires each student to fire weapons correctly.

“We think it is important – we want to raise the level of training and expertise, says Fisher. “We want the profession of corrections to become more professional. We want to be responsible for putting the best officers and officials on the streets and in these facilities.”

Credentials and Progress

WWTC also offers certification programs that meet the requirements of corrections officials. The college offers a two-year program for students that want to become police officers, as well as a full-time 13-week police academy during the summer. 

 “To become a jail officer in Wisconsin, you only need a diploma from high school,” Fisher explains. “To be a police officer, you need at least sixty college credits. We run our programs on a lateral basis, which means that kids come in and earn sixty credits – and by the second year of college, they are certified to become policemen.”

Students who have completed a traditional four-year program at any other university also enroll in the program. Many of the four-year students that apply to WWTC have backgrounds in criminal justice, and decide to enter the corrections field. Fisher maintains that WWTC supports four-year programs for all students.

“We look at it from this angle: Do you have to have a degree to be a good cop? No. Does it help? Yes, of course. It rounds you out, and makes you a better person – that obviously helps your career,” Fisher says.

Fisher adds that the positive responses WWTC has received from police departments and corrections facilities helps Fisher understand that the school's programs are on track.

 “Going through these programs and graduating from this college is the foundation for the rest of your life,” Fisher says. “We are giving these students the bricks to build their careers.”