Does Mandela Barnes decide who gets paroled?
As lieutenant governor of Wisconsin, Democrat Mandela Barnes has no authority to grant parole to incarcerated people.
Democratic Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers exercises some control over the Wisconsin Parole Commission in that he appoints and may dismiss its chair, who makes the final determination on parole requests. In June, Evers asked for and received the resignation of Parole Commission Chairman John Tate II after the latter granted a controversial parole of a convicted murderer. Neither Evers nor Barnes is directly responsible for the decisions made by the Wisconsin Parole Commission.
Barnes has expressed support for criminal justice reform on multiple occasions over the years, including reducing prison populations. When he served as a state legislator on the Assembly Corrections Committee, he sponsored bills that would eliminate cash bail and limit revocations of parole for non-criminal violations.
