Sixteen Years Old and Sentenced to Life: What Wisconsin’s Commutation Hearings Ask Us About Redemption
Two of the twelve people up for commutation hearings this month were sentenced to life at 16 and 17. Milwaukee’s reentry housing network is racing to make sure redemption has somewhere to land.
Milwaukee’s Crime Numbers Are Actually Good News. Here’s Why Nobody’s Celebrating.
Milwaukee’s homicide rate is down 30% this year and city leaders are crediting relationship-driven prevention work over policing alone — with five Milwaukee-tied commutation hearings this month showing what happens when reform gets paired with results.
Twelve Names, One Board, and Wisconsin’s Quiet Test of Redemption
There’s a hearing happening in Madison on August 21 that most of the country will never hear about, and that’s exactly why UNJ is covering it. Wisconsin’s Commutation Advisory Board will convene to review twelve applications for commutation — a form of executive clemency that can shorten or modify a criminal sentence — with five […]
Wisconsin’s Commutation Board Gets Its First Real Test — And Milwaukee Is Watching
Five people with Milwaukee ties go before Wisconsin’s reestablished Commutation Advisory Board in August — the first real test of whether the state’s redemption machinery can actually move. Marcus Hart on what’s at stake beyond the hearing room.
Milwaukee Has a Model That Actually Works for Veterans in the Justice System. So Why Isn’t It Bigger?
As Wisconsin’s prisons sit 5,000 people over capacity, Milwaukee County’s Veterans Treatment Court quietly proves that diversion works – for veterans and taxpayers alike. Marcus Hart, a combat veteran, makes the case for scaling it statewide.
Wisconsin’s Prisons Are 5,000 People Over Capacity. Milwaukee Is Paying the Price First.
A faith-based coalition rallied outside Wisconsin’s Department of Corrections this month over dangerous overcrowding — a crisis that hits Milwaukee’s most-incarcerated zip code hardest. Marcus Hart looks at what’s driving the numbers and what actual reform requires.
53206 and the Governor’s Second Chance: What Wisconsin’s Commutation Restart Actually Means for Milwaukee
Gov. Evers has restarted commutations for the first time in over two decades, but a GOP-controlled Legislature keeps blocking the deeper reforms that could actually shrink Milwaukee’s most incarcerated zip code. Marcus Hart breaks down what’s real progress and what’s still theater.
Wisconsin’s Prisons Are Nearing a Record High. Evers Just Reopened a Door That’s Been Sealed Since 2001.
Wisconsin’s prison population is approaching an all-time high while Gov. Evers restarts a commutation process frozen for 25 years. Marcus Hart on what that gap means for Milwaukee families, and what actual reentry investment would look like.
Milwaukee’s Murder Rate Is Falling. The City Is About to Test Whether It Believes Its Own Data.
Homicides are down 30%, shootings down 27%, carjackings down 34% — and the people who did it aren’t the police department. Milwaukee’s violence prevention workers just proved a theory. Now comes the harder question: will the city keep funding it?
Milwaukee’s Veterans Court Works. Most Veterans With Legal Trouble Still Don’t Know It Exists.
Milwaukee County has run a Veterans Treatment Court for years, with free legal clinics running this month at the Veteran Service Office. Marcus Hart, a combat veteran himself, breaks down how the program actually works, and why too many local vets never find out it’s an option before it’s too late.