Wisconsin’s state prison population has experienced alarming growth in recent years, surpassing 130% capacity with 23,032 people imprisoned in the state as of February 2025.
The simplest solution to overcrowding: Stop incarcerating people who haven’t been convicted of a new crime — a practice called crimeless revocation.
At the ACLU of Wisconsin, criminal legal reform is one of our top priorities. Some of the proposed solutions we’re fighting for include marijuana legalization, an end to crimeless revocation, and diversion programs to keep people in the community.
End Crimeless Revocation Now
Crimeless revocations of community supervision — imprisoning an individual for violating a rule of supervision not involving a new crime — is a significant contributor to the growing Wisconsin prison population.
These revocations for minor violations of supervision rules, such as borrowing money, missing an appointment, or accepting employment without prior approval, accounted for over 33% of new Wisconsin prison admissions in 2024.
People reincarcerated without a new offense in Wisconsin will spend an average of 1.5 years in prison, stripping people of their freedom and costing taxpayers $147.5 million.
Rather than spending billions of taxpayer dollars to trap people in a revolving door of incarceration and supervision, people on parole, probation, or extended supervision should be given the support and opportunities needed to thrive in their community.
Read our policy recommendations and track the harmful automatic revocation bill currently moving through the legislature.
Clemency for Cannabis Convictions Now
Wisconsin remains one of only 11 states where marijuana is illegal, even for medicinal purposes.
What often gets overlooked in calls for legalization is the need to grant clemency to people who have a criminal record due to a weed-related conviction. In 2022, more than 13,400 Wisconsinites were arrested for a cannabis offense, the vast majority of which were for simple possession. That means tens of thousands of people – disproportionately poor people of color – are thrown into our criminal legal system for simply possessing marijuana.
Fortunately, there’s something we can do about it. Governor Tony Evers can grant clemency for cannabis convictions under Wisconsin law – an action that could deliver redemption for countless people and their families and begin to right the wrongs of the failed War on Drugs.
It’s past time that we legalize cannabis – and it’s also past time that the people most affected by its criminalization get the justice they deserve.
Email your legislators with one click and demand they listen to the vast majority of Wisconsinites who know it’s time for a change.
