WEST ALLIS, Wisc. – Tony Evers’ Parole Commission is flat out ignoring public records requests from journalists and elected officials seeking the names of criminals released into Wisconsin communities.
“Why does Tony Evers keep public information away from the public?” said Tim Michels. “His soft on crime record is bad, but it could be even worse than we realize–has the list of dangerous parolees topped 1,000?”
For weeks, Wisconsin Right Now has been reporting on the brutal murderers, child rapists, and violent criminals being released by Evers’ Parole Commission. Excluding the 2022 parolees, whose names the board refuses to turn over, at least 884 convicted criminals have been released early by Tony Evers’ Parole Commission and are now living throughout the state.
At minimum, elected officials deserve information on released parolees as they evaluate the danger they present to their represented districts. Last week, Senator Van Wanggaard and Senator Julian Bradley wrote a letter demanding an answer to why Evers’ Department of Corrections and Parole Commission are “stonewalling and undermining the Legislature’s duty to oversee the DOC and Commission.”
“As people discover that brutal murderers and child rapists, and even a cop killer are being released into communities across the state, Tony Evers owes victims’ families and the public the full list of those he’s let out early,” said Michels. “If Tony Evers’ released information with the same ease that he released felons, at least Wisconsinites would know if dangerous people were living in their communities.”
Last week, Michels sent a letter to Evers urging him to temporarily halt paroles and pardons for the rest of the year “while the people ofWisconsin have the chance to re-evaluate and weigh in on [his] desire to empty out our prisons.” Tony Evers has made our communities less safe, and Wisconsinites will reject his tired, old leadership in November. Evers has publicly denied the request.
