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Governor's Pardon Advisory Board hears dozen applicants in livestreamed Zoom session
Summary
The Governor's Pardon Advisory Board heard oral statements from multiple pardon applicants who described past offenses, rehabilitation efforts and the barriers their records create. Board members asked follow-up questions about restitution, community service and documentation before moving to closed session to deliberate.
MADISON — The Governor's Pardon Advisory Board convened a livestreamed Zoom hearing to hear in-person statements from multiple pardon applicants and to ask follow-up questions about their criminal histories, rehabilitation and continuing barriers to employment, licensing and civic participation.
Mel Barnes, the governor’s chief legal counsel and chair of the board, opened the session by explaining the hearing format and asking each applicant to use the first three minutes of their five-minute appearance to summarize the offense, describe what they have done since completing their sentence, and explain why they are seeking a pardon. “We’re not here to retry the crime,” Barnes said, and told applicants the board would later meet in closed session to decide whether to forward recommendations to the governor.
The morning and afternoon hearings included applicants ranging from decades-old offenses to more recent convictions. Christopher Olsen described a 2016 conviction and said he has worked in mental-health and substance-use recovery for nearly a decade, including Narcan training and work in hospital emergency departments. “I’m approaching 10 years of sobriety,” Olsen told the board, noting training he received from the Department of Health Services and roles with local recovery providers.
Several applicants cited steady work and community service as reasons for clemency. William Morrissey told the board his 1997 conviction was an isolated error and described philanthropic and business activity abroad and in the U.S. Jason Little and others described treatment participation that, they said, changed their lives and supported long-term employment and volunteer work.
Board members repeatedly asked about corroborating materials and outstanding obligations. Cindy O’Donnell noted letters of support are strongly recommended and asked multiple applicants why those were not included with their applications. In one exchange Jakeda Chadwick confirmed restitution is nearly paid off and that a wage-garnishment remains in place. Several applicants said they would provide additional letters if the board requested them.
The Milwaukee County District Attorney’s Office or individual judges reviewed and — in multiple cases mentioned during the hearing — signaled support for particular applications, a point board members flagged to applicants as information that would be passed along to the governor. Applicants seeking restoration of firearms rights or licensing noted the limited reach of out‑of‑state restorations: Judge Jeffrey Kremers cautioned that a restoration in another state may not change legal status in Wisconsin.
Near the close of the public portion of the meeting the board voted to move into closed session under Wisconsin Statute section 19.85(1)(a),(d) and (f) to deliberate on specific applications and the personal histories of applicants. Staff ended the livestream before the board began deliberations. Barnes told applicants they should expect to hear the board’s recommendation to the governor in about a month to a month and a half.
What’s next: the board will consider each application in closed session and forward recommendations to the governor if a majority of board members present votes to do so; applicants will receive notice of the outcome in the time frame described by the chair.
Reporting notes: The hearing was livestreamed on Wisconsin Eye and YouTube. All direct quotes in this account are attributed to speakers who identified themselves during the public hearing.
