Shockingly, our Wisconsin Constitution and our bail statutes currently prohibit sitting judges and court commissioners from considering the dangerousness of a defendant when deciding how much cash bail he should be released on. As far back as September of 2017, I am proud of my work with Representative Cindi Duchow for her determined efforts to pass common-sense bail reform. The genesis of these efforts arose from an horrible sexual assault case that I prosecuted, in the City of Delafield, where a Defendant abused a number of his children and grandchildren. Since 2017, I have worked closely with Representative Duchow’s Office to remedy those legal impediments that judges face. Twice, I have appeared before our State Assembly’s Judiciary Committee to testify in support of Representative’s Duchow’s common-sense reforms. I fully support Rep. Duchow’s efforts to change the Wisconsin Constitution to give judges the discretion to consider a defendant’s dangerousness when setting cash bail. Such discretion may prevent future tragedies like the Waukesha Christmas Parade.
