Governor Tony Evers has granted a record number of pardons, when compared to past Wisconsin governors. To continue his current pace, he has signed an executive order reducing requirements needed for individuals to receive pardons.

Under the new order, Evers can pardon an individual, without a board meeting needed. Only those who have committed non-violent crimes that occurred a significant length of time ago are eligible. 

Nate Holton, a member of the Pardon Advisory Board and the director of Diversity and Inclusion for the Milwaukee County Transit System, states, “We have encountered so many individuals with remarkable stories and tales of redemption…Each and every one of us makes mistakes.”

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In some cases, when mental health emergencies occur in the downtown and campus area, mental health professionals will come to the scene in place of Madison police.

The new service, the Community Alternative Response Emergency Services (CARES) team, started operating on September 1. The service entails paramedics from the Madison Fire Department teaming up with staff members from Journey Mental Health. The response team is headquartered at Fire Station 3 in downtown Madison.

A pending bill would expand a similar service across the state of Wisconsin, in response to 911 calls associated with mental health crises.

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Wisconsin’s Dane County Jail will be initiating an effort to refer to inmates as “residents”, to avoid dehumanization. As Dane County Sheriff Kalvin Barett states, the decision hinges on the theory that, “How one views themselves matters.”

Dane County Supervisor Sheila Stubbs states, “Changing the name of inmate to resident gives them a sense of belonging.”

As Wisconsin’s Dane County Jail implements this policy, many jails around the country are doing the same.

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