In Wisconsin, nearly 23,000 people are incarcerated, leaving state prison overcrowded.
By 2019, it's anticipated more people will be behind bars in Wisconsin than ever before.
State legislators, like Sen. Dave Hansen (D-Green Bay) and Rep. Michael Schraa (R-Oshkosh) say they know something has to be done to change the trend.
"Minnesota has about half the amount of prisoners locked up as we do in our state prisons," said Sen. Dave Hansen. "They do a great job with community service and treatment and we can do a lot better."
One solution Rep. Schraa, the chairman of the Assembly Corrections Committee, is pitching is to send some drunk driving offenders to treatment or rehab for one year to 18 months, instead of giving them mandatory prison sentences.
That could keep as many as 2,000 people out of prison a year, help those people keep their jobs, and save taxpayer money, he said.
"Overall we're not getting softer on crime, but I think there is a realization that some of the lower level offenders, it may not be best suited for them to be sitting in prison for 5 to 10 years," he said. "So I think this legislature of my colleagues on both sides of the aisle are really understanding the fact that we've got to start thinking outside of the box."
Rep. Schraa is asking for $5 million to launch his treatment pilot program in Winnebago County.
A different solution to reduce prison populations would be to let some of the nearly 3,000 inmates eligible for parole out of prison, according to Sen. Hansen.
That could save the state as much as $108 million a year, he said.
