Evers said he is the first governor since Tommy Thompson, who served from 1987 to 2001, to grant a commutation. Earlier this year, Evers signed two executive orders reinstating the state's commutation process, which had been dormant for roughly 25 years. The Governor's Commutation Advisory Board, convened under those orders, considered 24 applications and recommended 14 for approval; the remaining 10 were denied.

In a one-on-one interview that aired Wednesday, Evers told Wisconsin State Capitol Bureau Chief Vanessa Kjeldsen that commutations have been among the most important initiatives of his recent tenure. "It's a very time-consuming process," Evers said. "It takes a lot of people to bring all the information forward and actually interview all these folks. So the answer is yes, we will be doing that before I leave office."

Among those receiving a commutation is Michael Maldonado, who was 15 years old when he and two other people shot and killed a man in the early 1990s under the direction of Diana Borchardt, a Jefferson high school teacher's aide. Maldonado was sentenced to life in prison in 1994. In October 2025, his sentence was modified to make him eligible for parole after new evidence showed he was not the gunman.

A commutation may shorten a sentence someone is serving, but it does not guarantee release or necessarily reduce the total time served. It differs from a pardon, which restores certain civil rights and offers forgiveness but is available only after a person has completed their entire sentence. Evers has granted more pardons than any other Wisconsin governor, issuing more than 2,443 so far.

Gov.-elect David Crowley, speaking Friday after receiving a flu shot, said he supports continuing the commutation process. "I have not seen exactly what Governor Evers made the decision to do, but I do think it's important that we continue the commutation process here in the state of Wisconsin, and glad that Governor Evers brought it back," Crowley said. He added that his team is focused on the transition of power and preparing for the upcoming budget cycle.

The decision comes as Evers, a Democrat, prepares to leave office and as Crowley, also a Democrat, prepares to take over. The reinstatement of commutations marks a significant shift in how Wisconsin handles clemency, a tool that advocates say can correct excessive sentences and address disparities in the justice system, but which critics argue can undermine public safety and victims' families. For communities across the state, the move opens a new avenue for incarcerated people to seek relief and for the governor's office to weigh individual cases against broader public safety concerns.