New State Bill Could See Thousands Sent Back to Prison

Friday, March 21st, 2025 -- 10:00 AM

(Sarah Lehr, Wisconsin Public Radio) Thousands of additional people could be sent back to prison each year if a bill advancing in Wisconsin becomes law.

According to Sarah Lehr with the Wisconsin Public Radio, currently, there are more than 60,000 people being monitored in Wisconsin under what’s known as community supervision.

That means they’ve been sentenced to probation as an alternative to spending time behind bars, or they’re under parole or extended supervision after their prison sentence has been completed.

And, each year, thousands of people are sent back to prison if they’re found to have violated the conditions of their community supervision, through what’s called revocation.

A GOP-backed proposal would alter that revocation process, leading to concerns about how the changes could further increase Wisconsin’s ballooning prison population.

Currently, agents with Wisconsin’s Department of Corrections have some flexibility about whether to ask a judge to revoke someone’s probation, parole or extended supervision.

But, under the bill which cleared Wisconsin’s Republican-controlled Assembly last week, the DOC would be required to recommend revocation if someone’s charged with a new crime while out on release.

The Wisconsin Chiefs of Police Association and the Milwaukee Police Association testified in favor of the legislation. Meanwhile, the American Civil Liberties Union of Wisconsin, the Wisconsin Public Defender’s office and a group called Ex-Incarcerated People Organizing of Wisconsin are among those opposing the bill.

Wisconsin’s Department of Corrections has also come out against the proposal. DOC leaders say the bill would take away agents’ discretion about whether to recommend revocation based on someone’s risk level.

A fiscal estimate provided by the DOC suggested that changes could eventually increase Wisconsin’s prison population by roughly 4,600 people, resulting in a $245.7 million increase to annual operational costs.

The bill’s sponsors have pointed out that, while it does make a revocation recommendation mandatory in many cases, a recommendation doesn’t mean someone’s community supervision will automatically be yanked away.

Under the bill, an administrative law judge would still have the final say about whether someone should be revoked and sent back to prison. As it currently stands in Wisconsin, a recommendation from the DOC is needed to trigger that administrative law hearing.

The bill’s backers say their goal is to ensure revocation is at least considered by a judge.

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