Applying for Commutations in Wisconsin: How the New Process is Going
By Sherry Reames
A lot has happened in the weeks since Gov. Evers announced the establishment of an application process for commuting (shortening) some of the long sentences currently being served in Wisconsin prisons. Most of the news so far is positive, but there have been some discouraging developments.
On the negative side, some people are exploiting this opportunity to make a profit, either financially or politically, at the expense of hopeful prisoners and their families. At least one scammer is simply ripping prisoners off by promising to prepare applications that are guaranteed to succeed, but then pocketing the applicants’ Social Security numbers along with their money. Some lawyers are charging thousands of dollars to help with the few parts of the application process that prisoners can’t do for themselves. And some politicians and media sources are stirring up opposition to the very idea of granting an early release to anyone whose victims might still envision them as a threat, no matter how much time has passed and how well they’ve been rehabilitated.
Luckily, there is also quite a bit of good news:
(1) After some initial resistance, prison officials are cooperating with the application process in most cases by providing prisoners with access to the necessary forms, individual records, photocopying, and notary services.
(2) Gov. Evers has released the names and brief biographies of his Commutation Advisory Board appointees, and among them are Jerome Dillard, former (now retired) director of EXPO; former Madison Police Chief Noble Wray, who has served on the governor’s Pardon Board; Professor Jonathan Scharrer, who directs the Restorative Justice Project at the UW Law School; and other experts on the legal system, trauma, recovery, and rehabilitation.
(3) Advocates for prisoners, including those in the WISDOM Old Law/ Commutations workgroup, have learned how to complete an application that will be accepted for consideration and are freely sharing that information with others. The process is demanding. It requires applicants to list and explain all their encounters with law enforcement (including any juvenile cases, cases in other states, and charges that were immediately dropped). They must also answer hard questions about both the crime for which they are seeking commutation and the reasons they should be given a second chance. Finally, they must provide a detailed and convincing plan for successful re-entry. But a well-informed volunteer or family member can help most prisoners pull it all together in a few weeks.
For individual advice on the process, prisoners and their loved ones are encouraged to contact either ProSay (hello@weareprosay.org) or WISDOMcommutation@gmail.com. Money should not be a barrier. In fact, ProSay and its affiliate Justice Forward Wisconsin have applied for grant money specifically aimed at reimbursing the costs involved in completing an application. If the work is done by loved ones or volunteers instead of lawyers, the total cost (for the required legal documents plus three photocopies of the whole application plus postage to the Governor’s Office, the DA, and the Clerk of Courts) should be considerably less than $100.