| (MADISON) – The Joint Finance Committee voted Wednesday to defund the Parole Commission to four positions. According to the Legislative Fiscal Bureau, it would take 15 years to address almost 4,000 parole applicants under the new staffing level.
Following the committee session, Senator Taylor offered the following remarks:
“Governor Walker is refusing to respect people’s right to parole. These are people who want to be heard and considered on whether they have paid their debt to society. It is unacceptable that people who are incarcerated and eligible for parole wait years before they can get a hearing. It is also irresponsible to taxpayers, who pay $30,000 per year to incarcerate a person. While the Parole Commission certainly has its issues, we need to work to make it better, not work to destroy it.”
“Governor Walker’s attack on parole is just another example that he is refusing to do his job. Just like he refuses to hear pardons, he now wants to reject the voice of parole applicants. I would like to remind the Governor that he represents everyone in this State, including those who are incarcerated. If Governor Walker refuses to fulfill the duties of his office, we need someone else who will”. |
