About 20 inmates at Wisconsin's Redgranite Correctional Institution are raising monarch butterflies in a conservation program now in its second year, according to the state corrections department.

The Refuge for Growth, Change and Inspiration Monarch Program was launched in 2025 by recreation leader Carrie Jahnke. The prison receives monarch caterpillars from a nearby breeding center, Monarch Watch, and inmates work in groups to feed them, replace leaves, collect data and tag butterflies.

This season the program handled 100 caterpillars, up from 60 in its first year. The tagged monarchs join the thousands-of-miles migration to their winter habitat in Mexico, and the data collected helps guide conservation of the declining species.

Prison landscapers have planted monarch-friendly flower beds around the grounds to support the insects after release. The program gives inmates, including those unable to play sports, a way to contribute to their community and learn horticulture, and staff say the gentle work has been popular.