Evers described this as a “goal” in various venues, acknowledging it could not be done within a single term. This issue was a source of multiple attacks during the campaign.
In a July 12 forum, Evers said he supported eventually cutting the prison population in half:
Moderator: The multi-racial interfaith organization MICAH launched a campaign in 2011 to cut the state prison population by half, from 22,000 to 11,000. It now sits at 23,000. Do you support that original goal, and how would you balance reducing the prison population —
Evers: Absolutely, and that's a goal that’s worth accomplishing … We have to stop people incarcerating people for non-violent crimes.
In addition, Evers provided the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel a July 2, 2018 statement that said: “I would want my administration to develop a comprehensive prison reform package that will actually prevent recidivism, decrease our prison population and save the state money. This could include drug court expansion, increased services and resources for treating drug and alcohol addiction, returning 17 year olds to the juvenile system instead of charging them as adults, revising Wisconsin’s ‘truth-in-sentencing’ laws and increased support for more community policing programs.”
In other places, Evers pledged suport for several reforms that could help achieve this goal, including ending mandatory minimum sentences and ending parole violations for technical issues.
During his 2018 campaign, now-Gov. Tony Evers said he supported the "goal" of cutting the Wisconsin prison population in half.
Evers noted it was a long-term effort that couldn't be done in a single term. So we're evaluating this one based on how much progress has been made in that direction, and if it's based on actions by Evers.
In a January 2021 email to PolitiFact Wisconsin, Evers spokesperson Britt Cudaback noted that the prison population had dropped from more than 23,000 in 2019, when Evers took office, to 20,000 at the end of 2020.
The state Department of Corrections at the time said that drop was primarily due to the effects of the coronavirus pandemic, which halted trials for a time.
"A major part of the decrease in population can be attributed to a slower-moving court system during the pandemic," DOC spokesman John Beard said in an email at the time.
Beard also noted the department itself – and therefore the administration – is limited in its ability to immediately reduce the population, since only a few programs allow inmates to be set free before their scheduled release date. According to a DOC "Persons in Our Care" report, as of April 1, 2022, the state adult prison population was at 19,878, down scarcely a notch from the 20,000 reported at the end of 2020.
In 2021, we rated his promise In the Works.
But there has been virtually no movement since then. From the start, Evers noted this was a long-term goal – not one to be completed in a single term.
We are moving this rating to Stalled.