(The Center Square) – A Wisconsin lawmaker is raising concerns that one of nine members of Gov. Tony Evers’ commutations board has a conflict of interest as his work colleagues advocate for applicants being considered by the board.
Restorative Justice Director Jonathan Scharrer is one of nine members of the board that heard the arguments of 12 applicants on Friday. Scharrer’s colleagues are advocating for four of the 12 applicants, but he only recused himself from one of the four applicants, according the state Sen. Van Wanggaard, R-Racine.
Wangaard published the names of the 809 felons requesting commutations through Evers’ board.
A commutation shortens the sentence of an inmate. Applicants must have at least a year remaining and have served half of the full incarceration term or 20 years of a life sentence.
Those imprisoned for sexual assault, physical abuse of a child, sexual exploitation of a child, trafficking of a child, incest and soliciting a child for prostitution are not eligible for commutation.
“It is a rigged system!” Wanggaard said in a statement. “Board members are considering applications their close colleagues are urging. The supposed “consideration” of releasing killers early seems like a guarantee now.”
Wanggard said he has received 1,800 pages of documents from the governor’s office in a partial response to an Open Records Request related to application materials for those seeking commutations.
“As we combed through the documents, we realized the Law School’s Remington Center wrote a letter in support of 4 of the 12 applicants,” Wanggaard said. “Jonathan Sharrer is listed on the Remington Center’s letterhead. He is also a member of Governor Evers’ Commutation Board. If that’s not a conflict of interest, I don’t know what is.”
Wanggaard’s office said the senator is still seeking the records of the remaining 797 applicants.
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