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MADISON, Wis. - Eleven Wisconsin prisoners, including eight convicted of homicide, presented their requests to have their sentences cut short, while the families of some victims shared their opposition to the early release.
The Governor's Commutation Advisory Board held a third hearing to weigh another batch of applications for commutations on Friday, Oct. 23. The board will make non-binding recommendations to the governor, who has the final say on whether to grant a commutation.
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Governor's power
The backstory:
The last Wisconsin governor to issue commutations was Gov. Tommy Thompson. Gov. Tony Evers, in this, his last year in office, restarted the process.
The Wisconsin Constitution gives the governor power to issue pardons and commutations. Evers has not issued any commutations, but has issued the most pardons in Wisconsin history, with more than 2,443, as of Friday. He restarted the pardon process in 2019. Then, in April of 2026, he restarted the commutation process.
Capitol in Madison
Commutation vs. pardon
What to know:
A commutation would cut a sentence a prisoner is currently serving, while a pardon is after someone has already served their time. Evers gives a pardon after someone has completed all their sentence, including prison and supervision, and has been off supervision for five years or more.
The governor’s office explains: "A pardon restores certain civil rights and offers forgiveness that can impact your ability to be hired in certain jobs or obtain certain licenses."
Prisoner seeking commutation
What they're saying:
James Foote is one of the prisoners seeking a commutation. He has served 25 years of his 40-year sentence for severely injuring Timothy Quinlan, who would later die.
In a 2025 podcast called "Inmate Tea with A&P," that FOX6 reviewed, Foote said he didn’t do it, particularly stating he never swung and never hit anyone with a table leg. However, now, in 2026, he told the Wisconsin Governor’s Commutation Advisory Board that he did swing a table leg, but it was done in self-defense and that his decision at the time was "horrible."
"I’ve had nearly 26 years to think about the moment that changed so many lives, including my own," he told the commutation advisory board.
Wisconsin Department of Corrections
"Timothy Quinlan was a man with dreams, goals, relationships and a future. Although I did not know him, I recognize the tremendous loss associated with what happened to him. For my actions and the role I played in the violence that morning, I am deeply sorry and genuinely remorseful," he added.
Foote told the advisory board he has changed since going to prison. He says his thinking, values, priorities, and purpose have changed and that he now understands his life can be used to serve others. Advisory board members questioned Foote about the incident being self-defense.
"None of that fits really with the testimony of other people that you had this altercation and you went back to a house and got a table leg. So, I’m having trouble and at the same time, you say you take full responsibility. I’m having trouble figuring out what you take responsibility for and how your story, even today, is inconsistent with the evidence."
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The other side:
The sister of the victim urged the board not to recommend a commutation.
"Mr. Foot brutally assaulted my brother, Timothy S. Quinlan. He orchestrated the event, getting a hardwood table leg with screws and deliberately found out where my brother would be located and drove to that location where the attack occurred. My brother never had a chance."
"There was reason he was given this sentence, regardless of if what he may feel he has served his time. He has not," the sister stated. "He caused my family so much heartache and struggled over the years and took basically a life in all sense of the word. I am asking that you please consider his [Foot’s] request as a simple ploy to evade serving his given sentence. "
Gov. Tony Evers
Who is being considered?
Dig deeper:
Foote was one of 11 prisoners who applied for a commutation that the Governor’s Commutation Advisory Board weighed on Friday. Eight were convicted of homicide, one for attempted homicide, one for armed robbery and one for drug dealing. The board will decide whether to recommend commutations for the 11.
Here’s the full list for Friday's hearing:
- Karshra Armstrong was sentenced in 1995 to life in prison for first-degree intentional homicide.
- James Foote was sentenced in 2001 to 40 years in prison and 20 years of extended supervision for attempted first-degree intentional homicide and first-degree reckless injury.
- Christopher Bunch was sentenced in 2006 to 30 years in prison and 12 years of extended supervision for felony murder and armed robbery.
- Willie Malone Jr. was sentenced in 2016 to 16 years in prison and 20 years of extended supervision for drug dealing heroin.
- Vance Yerke was sentenced in 2002 to life in prison for first-degree intentional homicide.
- George Gibson was sentenced in 2001 to 40 years in prison and 20 years of extended supervision for armed robbery, battery, and false imprisonment.
- Jamaal Addison was sentenced in 2000 to two life sentences for first-degree intentional homicide.
- Marquis Gilliam was sentenced in 1998 to life in prison for first-degree intentional homicide.
- Clarence Joseph was sentenced in 1992 to life in prison for first-degree intentional homicide.
- Norman Green was sentenced in 1991 to life in prison for first-degree intentional homicide.
- James Blunt was sentenced in 2006 to life in prison for first-degree intentional homicide.
Rationale, criticism of commutations
What they're saying:
The governor's executive order in April set up the commutation process and laid out his rationale for restating it.
"The availability of executive clemency reflects a recognition that individuals are capable of rehabilitation, redemption, and can earn a second chance," said Gov. Evers in his April executive order. "The granting of commutations promotes rehabilitation by providing a system that rewards the positive efforts of incarcerated individuals who demonstrate personal growth and a commitment to change with the possibility of a second chance to contribute to society, become productive members of their communities, make amends, and improve their lives and those of the people around them."
State Senator Van Wanggaard, a Republican from Racine, wants to criminalize operating while suspended, revoked or without a license on the first offense
Republican State Sen. Van Wanggaard criticized the governor and pointed to the hundreds of prisoners seeking commutations.
"The public has a right to know which dangerous criminals Evers is considering releasing. And it’s clear it’s some of the worst-of-the-worst," said Wanggaard earlier this year. "The people who prosecuted and heard these cases oppose the commutations nearly unanimously. Now, Governor Evers is using hand-picked, unelected bureaucrats to second guess the people actually involved in the case to overturn their sentences years later! That should upset everyone in Wisconsin."
Crowley, Tiffany on commutations
You Decide 2026:
Candidates for Wisconsin governor in August offered their perspectives on what they would do with commutations.
"David believes clemency is an important tool for correcting past wrongs, but also that clemency must be done with respect for victims and communities. David will not support commutations or pardons for anyone previously convicted of murder or other violent crimes. As governor, David will approach executive clemency with a clear sense of responsibility to both justice and public safety," said a David Crowley campaign spokesperson.
"I will rescind the executive orders that allow murderers, including those serving life sentences, to be released back into the community after just 20 years. I am making a commitment to the people of Wisconsin that, as governor, I will not release violent criminals early and will ensure victims and their families receive the full measure of justice. We will end the soft-on-crime board that overrides the justice system and gives violent criminals another avenue for early release. The fact that six convicted murderers are among those being considered for early release by Governor Evers only reinforces my concerns with this board," said Tom Tiffany.
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Non-binding recommendation
What's next:
The advisory board will make a non-binding recommendation to Gov. Evers, who will decide whether to issue any commutations, something he hasn’t yet done as governor.
The governor tasked the board to consider the impact a commutation would have on victims, survivors and the community. The board is also to consider whether a commutation is consistent with public safety and the interests of justice, the person's record in prison, and their personal growth and development since conviction, including the completion of rehabilitative programs, treatment, education and work history.
The board includes the governor's legal counsel, former Dane County and former Waukesha County judges, a former Madison police chief, a law professor, a domestic abuse counseling executive and a rehabilitation expert.
People convicted of sexual assault, physical abuse of a child, sexual exploitation of a child, trafficking of a child, incest and soliciting a child for prostitution are not eligible for commutation.
The Source: Information in this story was gathered from the Wisconsin Constitution, the Legislative Reference Bureau, Governor Tony Evers' executive order, the commutation advisory board’s meetings, and statements from the campaigns of David Crowley and Tom Tiffany, along with the office of Van Wanggaard.