nature
Inmates raised 100 monarchs and set them free
They couldn't play sports. So they raised butterflies instead.
About 20 inmates at Redgranite Correctional Institution in Wisconsin spent this summer raising monarch butterflies, and this year they reared 100 caterpillars, up from 60 in 2024. The program, called Refuge for Growth, Change and Inspiration, was launched in 2025 by Carrie Jahnke, who was looking for something meaningful for prisoners who could not take part in sports. It runs June through September in a purpose-built lepidopterum inside the facility. Caterpillars arrive from a nearby breeding center, Monarch Watch, and participants change leaves, collect data on eggs, and tag butterflies before their migration to Mexico. The work is delicate and dainty, which has not stopped it from being popular. "I enjoy being part of this program and being able to give back to the community," said inmate Nathan Lecker, who remembered raising caterpillars as a child. Once free, each butterfly needs two to three days to build strength before flying south.