Woke Wisconsin Department of Corrections No Longer Calls Inmates Inmates

Wisconsin Department of Corrections Secretary Kevin Carr said in a recent memo that DOC staffers should use "person first language" such as "clients" and "persons in our care" instead of "inmates."

"I use the term 'persons in our care' when I talk about adults in our custody, 'youth' for those within the Division of Juvenile Corrections and 'clients' for those under supervision," Carr explained. "I do this because I believe we have a moral obligation to humanize the persons we are working with. Human beings are fallible, and understanding and recognizing this will help the DOC’s efforts to set persons in our care on a better path."

While Carr stresses that the change in language is not mandatory,"it is my preference staff use person first language whenever possible."