Gov Evers Remains Mush on Pardons

Madison, Wisconsin — News that Gov. Tony Evers (D) will issue four pardons on October 7 belies the scope of Wisconsin's criminal injustice system, (AP).

Reports Scott Bauer, AP:

Gov Evers plans to pardon Eric Pizer, Kevin Sorenson, Mwangi Vasser and Steven Nichols on Monday, Oct 7.  ...

The pardons come less than a week after Evers received a request from Brandon Dassey, one of the subjects of the 2015 Netflix series 'Making a Murderer.' Dassey is serving a life sentence in the 2005 slaying of Theresa Halbach. Evers had said he would consider the application, even though Dassey does not meet the qualifications Evers set for pardons. His rules call for instantly disqualifying anyone who’s still serving their prison sentence.

Evers as governor is vested with the constitutionally unqualified power to grant pardons, Article V, Section 6 of the Wisconsin Constitution. This is Evers' decision alone. So, don't let Evers fool you, rules and procedures are advisory.

Evers could correct the grotesque injustice of the Brendan Dassey's conviction Monday as well with a stroke of a pen.

Evers could begin a major program of deincarceration, ala Philly District Attorney Larry Krasner on Monday.

From CBS News:

'The oath is to seek justice,' Larry Krasner said. 'When somebody sits in a jail cell for a crime they did not commit, that is an injustice.'

The former public defender assumed the top prosecutor job in 2018. One of his first missions was to beef up the Conviction Integrity Unit to investigate legitimate claims of wrongful convictions.

'There was a culture at various times of win at all cost,' said Krasner. 'And if that meant that you were gonna take the document that suggested there was a different suspect, a document that the Constitution requires you, as a prosecutor, to turn over to the defense, and you were gonna shred it, you did. And then there was a separate issue with certain detectives, and everybody who was in the system knew about it.'

In his first week in office, he fired 31 employees.

'I did not enjoy it, but it was necessary to do,' he said. 'Especially as I see these exonerations happen, and guess whose names just keep coming up for having been involved in convictions of innocent people?'

Tony Evers' window dressing on the obscenity of wrongful conviction, police corruption, and mass incarceration is an insult.