Prisoner at Sanger Powers in Oneida facing months-long delay for release granted parole
ONEIDA - On Nov. 2, a Sanger B. Powers Correctional Center prisoner was granted parole more than five months after he was recommended for release from prison.
Travis Coleman, 57, has served nearly 24 years in prison for a string of robberies with threat of force in Milwaukee in 1999.
His approval for release from the chairman of the Wisconsin Parole Commission, Jon Erpenbach, came one week after USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin published a story highlighting the months-long parole delay faced by Coleman and others.
At that time, 29 people were sitting in state prisons after being recommended for parole awaiting final approval for release from Erpenbach. As of Friday, that number is 28.
"This number continues to change as more recommendations are made, and other grants are approved," said Wisconsin Parole Commission office associate Oliver Buchino, in an email.
In Wisconsin, people sentenced for crimes committed before Dec. 31, 1999, are under the parole system. They are first eligible for parole after serving 25% of their sentence. To be considered for release, a prisoner meets with a parole commissioner at a parole hearing.
The commissioner makes a decision to either defer parole and sets a future date for another review, deny parole and restricts a person from being released before their mandatory release date, or recommend parole.
If the commissioner recommends parole, paperwork is handed off to Erpenbach, who gives the final say with his signature.
Former chairman of the parole commission John Tate II resigned in June 2022 following backlash for his approval for parole of a man convicted of murdering his wife who had served fewer than 25 years of an 80-year sentence. Since then, the new chairman, Erpenbach, has been taking longer to give final approval for paroles.
In September, Erpenbach said his final approval for parole could come "right away, or it could be a year." He told USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin the delays are due to an emphasis on ensuring all victims are properly notified before a person who committed a crime against them is released.
Since the start of the new millenium, people are sentenced for crimes under a new system, known as "truth in sentencing." Now, a judge specifies the length of time a person will spend in prison, followed by a period of extended supervision, during which they will be out in the community but monitored by the Department of Corrections and required to follow a list of rules.
Coleman's release date is Dec. 14, he said. Until then, he is working on solidifying a job and housing.
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Kelli Arseneau can be reached at 920-213-3721 or karseneau@gannett.com. Follow her on X at @ArseneauKelli.
This article originally appeared on Appleton Post-Crescent: Prisoner facing months-long delay for release granted parole
