US EditionTony Evers Issues Orders Restoring Prison Sentence Commutations
The orders create a review board and a separate youth-offender path, with eligibility limited to people who have served at least 20 years.
- On Friday, Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers signed Executive Orders 287 and 288 to reinstate the state's process for commuting prison sentences, marking the first time in three decades a governor has restored this authority.
- Wisconsin has not commuted a prison sentence since 1995, when former Gov. Tommy Thompson issued seven commutations. Evers aims to address the state's prison population, which has remained steady at over 23,000.
- Executive Order 287 establishes a 14-member Commutation Advisory Board to review applications. Applicants must have served at least half their term, or at least 20 years of a life sentence, and have good behavior records.
- Chief legal counsel Mel Barnes will chair the Commutation Advisory Board, with corrections veteran Cindy O'Donnell as vice chair. Their first meeting is scheduled for June 2026.
- Executive Order 288 creates a separate commutation track for youth offenders sentenced to life in prison, grounded in research showing adolescent brains develop into the twenties. The order cites the Supreme Court's Miller v. Alabama ruling barring mandatory life sentences for juveniles.
10 Articles
10 Articles
Governor gives thousands of prisoners commutation hope for first time since 1990s
The Wisconsin Examiner’s Criminal Justice Reporting Project shines a light on incarceration, law enforcement and criminal justice issues with support from the Public Welfare Foundation.Gov. Tony Evers announced Friday that he had signed two executive orders to begin offering commutations, a reductio...
APG of Wisconsin
Wisconsin ExaminerAfter 25 years, Gov. Evers announces commutations will be available in Wisconsin
Gov. Tony Evers announced Friday that he had signed two executive orders to begin offering commutations, a reduction of a criminal sentence by the governor’s authority to grant clemency. Even though Evers has granted a record number of pardons, a…
Gov. Evers: Signs executive orders restoring commutations process in Wisconsin
MADISON — Gov. Tony Evers today signed two executive orders to reinstate Wisconsin’s process for issuing commutations, including creating a new Commutation Advisory Board. The governor, who reinstated Wisconsin’s pardon process after taking office and has since issued a record-breaking 2,000 pardons—more than...
Wisconsin State Journal
Journal SentinelTony Evers issues orders restoring prison sentence commutations
Gov. Tony Evers on Friday signed two executive orders to restore the state's process for commuting prison sentences, making him the first governor to do so in three decades.
Evers takes steps to issue Wisconsin's first commutations in 25 years
Under Wisconsin's Constitution, a governor can use commutations to cut short someone’s prison sentence. But, for more than 25 years, Democratic and Republican governors have allowed that power to sit untouched. That could soon change. The post Evers takes steps to issue Wisconsin’s first commutations in 25 years appeared first on WPR.
Coverage Details
Bias Distribution
- 50% of the sources are Center
Factuality
To view factuality data please Upgrade to Premium
