07/30/2026
Why Commutations Matter
A Returning Citizen's Perspective
By Andrae Bridges
Vice President of Advocacy & Engagement
The Onesimus Group Milwaukee
In 1992, at just sixteen years old, I was sentenced to life in prison. I ultimately spent thirty-four years incarcerated before being granted a second chance.
Had it not been for people who believed that justice includes mercy, redemption, and the possibility of transformation, I would almost certainly still be behind bars today.
Because of that experience, I understand something that many people never have the opportunity to witness firsthand: people can change.
Not everyone does, but many do.
The purpose of a commutation is not to erase the past or minimize the pain caused by crime. It exists because our justice system recognizes that there are extraordinary cases where continued incarceration no longer serves the interests of justice, public safety, or society as a whole.
That is why commutations matter.
Rehabilitation Is the Goal, Not Just Punishment
Our criminal justice system is built upon several principles: punishment, deterrence, accountability, public safety, and rehabilitation.
While punishment is necessary, it should not become the only objective.
If we truly believe rehabilitation is possible, then we must also believe there should be a meaningful way to recognize those who have achieved it.
For decades, I watched men and women earn college degrees, complete treatment programs, mentor younger prisoners, strengthen their faith, learn trades, and dedicate themselves to becoming better people. Many became the very leaders who helped reduce violence inside prison walls. They accepted responsibility for their actions and committed themselves to living differently.
When someone has consistently demonstrated rehabilitation over many years, refusing to acknowledge that transformation sends a troubling message: that redemption is impossible, no matter how hard a person works to change.
A commutation recognizes that justice includes accountability, but it also leaves room for hope.
From Liability to Asset
One of the greatest misconceptions about formerly incarcerated people is that they remain a burden on society forever.
My experience tells a different story.
Many returning citizens become taxpayers, business owners, employees, mentors, volunteers, ministers, counselors, parents, and advocates. They often possess an uncommon appreciation for freedom, responsibility, and service because they know what it means to lose those things.
Some mentor at-risk youth to prevent others from making the same mistakes they made. Others work in violence prevention, addiction recovery, workforce development, prison ministry, and community outreach. Many become active leaders in churches and nonprofit organizations.
Their lived experiences become tools for helping others avoid similar paths.
Society benefits when transformed individuals are given opportunities to contribute rather than remain confined after they have demonstrated they no longer pose an unreasonable risk to public safety.
Instead of remaining a financial liability, many become valuable community assets.
Justice Should Reflect Growth
No one should be defined forever by the worst decision they ever made.
This does not diminish the seriousness of crime or the pain experienced by victims and their families. Accountability is essential.
But justice should also recognize genuine transformation when it occurs.
When an individual has served decades in prison, maintained an exemplary institutional record, completed educational and rehabilitative programming, accepted responsibility, and consistently demonstrated maturity and positive leadership, it is reasonable to ask an important question:
What purpose is served by keeping that person incarcerated for the remainder of their life?
If the answer is no longer public safety, deterrence, or rehabilitation, then continued incarceration deserves careful reconsideration.
Wisconsin's Prisons Face Real Challenges
Wisconsin's prisons continue to face significant overcrowding, placing strain on correctional staff, institutional resources, and taxpayers.
Housing people who no longer present a substantial threat consumes resources that could instead support rehabilitation, victim services, mental health treatment, substance use recovery, education, and crime prevention.
Every incarcerated person represents an ongoing public expense.
While protecting society is unquestionably worth that investment when necessary, continuing to incarcerate individuals who have demonstrated lasting rehabilitation raises legitimate questions about how those resources are best used.
Commutations are not a solution to prison overcrowding by themselves, but they can be part of a thoughtful, individualized approach that recognizes rehabilitation while allowing correctional systems to focus resources where they are needed most.
Many Sentences Deserve Another Look
Over the past several decades, sentencing practices have evolved considerably.
Many individuals serving lengthy or life sentences today were sentenced during periods that emphasized severe punishment, often with limited consideration of youth, trauma, addiction, mental health, or the science of human development.
Research has since shown that adolescents and young adults continue to develop emotionally, psychologically, and neurologically well into their twenties.
We now better understand the capacity for growth and change, particularly among those who committed crimes at a young age.
That understanding does not excuse criminal conduct, but it should inform how we evaluate people decades later after they have demonstrated sustained rehabilitation.
Commutations provide an avenue for correcting outcomes that, while lawful when imposed, may no longer reflect contemporary understandings of justice.
Redemption Is More Than a Religious Idea
Redemption is not simply a theological concept.
It is a practical principle that recognizes the possibility of human transformation.
If we expect people in prison to change, we should also be willing to acknowledge that change when it genuinely occurs.
Without the possibility of redemption, rehabilitation loses much of its meaning.
Without the possibility of a second chance, hope becomes difficult to sustain.
Without commutations, our justice system risks becoming one that measures people only by who they were instead of who they have become.
My Perspective
I know firsthand what it means to receive a second chance.
I also know what it means to spend thirty-four years proving that I was no longer the frightened sixteen-year-old who entered prison in 1992.
Today, I have the privilege of serving others through prison ministry, encouraging people who are still incarcerated, supporting returning citizens, and working to strengthen communities rather than harm them.
As Vice President of Advocacy & Engagement for The Onesimus Group Milwaukee, I advocate for policies and practices that recognize both accountability and the possibility of redemption, believing that reentry begins with relationship and that transformed lives can strengthen the very communities they once harmed.
My life is evidence that transformation is possible when people are given both the opportunity and the responsibility to change.
There are many men and women still incarcerated who have made that same commitment to growth. They have spent decades preparing for the opportunity to contribute positively to society if given the chance.
Commutations are not acts of leniency.
They are acts of discernment.
They recognize that justice is strongest when it combines accountability with mercy, punishment with rehabilitation, and consequence with the possibility of redemption.
A society that believes people can change should also have the courage to recognize those who truly have.
That is why commutations matter.
About the Author
Andrae Bridges is the Vice President of Advocacy & Engagement for The Onesimus Group Milwaukee, a faith-based nonprofit dedicated to serving incarcerated individuals and returning citizens through redemptive, relationship-centered solutions shaped by the teachings and work of Jesus Christ. After serving thirty-four years in prison for an offense committed at age sixteen, Bridges now works in prison ministry, reentry advocacy, and community engagement, helping build pathways from incarceration to restoration.
