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Last week, Milwaukee lost an exceptional public servant. After five months as director of the Office of Community Wellness and Safety (OCWS), Adam Procell was forced to step down because of an outdated, fear-based law.
The decision sparked strong public reactions and raised a much larger question: Do we want safety and wellness or simply the appearance of it? And how do we fix the deeper structural policies that are putting us at risk.
When OCWS became its own department, Adam’s role was reclassified as a public official, a category that Wisconsin law bars people with felony convictions from holding unless they have been pardoned. Adam, who served 23 years in prison for a homicide he committed at age 15, is not eligible to apply for a pardon until 2030.
For many people with criminal records, Adam’s appointment last August was a monumental acknowledgment by the power structure that those closest to the problem are often closest to the solution. His removal, in turn, stung deeply, not simply because he is beloved, but because it reminded thousands of people across the state how much stigma overrules transformation and results.
A decrease in violent crime
And Adam delivered results. After entering the role amid public backlash and a departmental firestorm, he proceeded to build and rebuild relationships across local and national partners, steady operations, and win over virtually everyone with his work ethic and vision. The city’s own crime dashboard reflected his effort. During his five-month tenure, violent crime trended downward, steeply so in the most recent three months:
Homicides down 19%
Robberies down 24%
Aggravated assaults down 15%
Non-fatal shootings down 45%
Carjackings down 53%
Of course, these numbers do not mean Adam singlehandedly caused them. But if crime was up, the detractors to his appointment would absolutely use it to support their case, so it must be acknowledged the other way around, as well. Moreso, it is legitimate to highlight these crime numbers as resulting at least in some part from the stronger operations and collaboration undeniably fostered by Adam’s leadership in the role.
Yet, from the start of his tenure until this very moment, familiar hollow sentiments from the public attempted to cloud this success: “Someone who committed murder shouldn’t lead anti-violence work on a tax-payer salary.” “If you don’t want barriers, don’t commit crimes.”
When we cheer outdated rules that push out someone who was effectively reducing violence, we cannot claim to want safer communities. We are choosing fear and misinformation masquerading as morality.
But this issue is much bigger than Adam’s story. Wisconsin continues to adhere to laws and policies that miss out on the immense value of people who have made mistakes or caused harm and used that as a wellspring of passion and purpose to develop remarkable perspective, morality, and commitment to do good.
Here’s how we can make things right
Wisconsin spends more than a billion dollars a year on its Department of Corrections. Why do we deny ourselves the benefit of the human transformations that result from that investment?
Two changes would better align Wisconsin practices with our values.
First: Wisconsin should explore moving toward a cap on post-release supervision. Thousands of people in our state remain under supervision for well over a decade. Yet national research is clear: after 3-7 years (depending on the crime), a person on supervision is no more likely to return to prison than people who have never been incarcerated. Extending supervision beyond that window only makes work, housing, entrepreneurship, community engagement and overall reintegration harder. Bringing Wisconsin closer to national norms on supervision would increase public safety, save money, and allow formerly incarcerated people to contribute to communities everywhere fully.
Second: Wisconsin should re-examine its pardon eligibility criteria, which is set entirely by the governor. Currently, a person must wait five years after completing their entire sentence before they can apply.
Many states allow applications immediately, and some accept them while a person is still serving their sentence. Gov. Tony Evers has issued more pardons than any governor in state history, which deserves applause. But the criteria remains too narrow. A more accessible process would better reflect what we know about rehabilitation, economic mobility, and community safety.
With Evers not seeking reelection, we need to ensure every candidate understands these benefits. And we should encourage Evers to expand the criteria during his last year. After all, the next governor could choose to shut down the process as previous governors have.
Some have also suggested amending the constitution, but that is a long and uncertain path compared to more achievable changes already within reach.
For Adam and every person in this state working daily to prove that our pasts do not define us, be proud of who you’ve become, and the impact you are leaving on so many. It absolutely matters. Through continued public education, dialogue, and engagement with people who understand harm, healing, and accountability from the inside out, Wisconsin can move toward policies that align our values with our practices.
Shannon Ross is a founding member of Justice Forward Wisconsin, a statewide coalition focused on creating a justice system more worthy of that name. He is also founder/CEO of The Community and a consultant with the McNelly Prison Education Consortium at Marquette University’s CURTO Center.
This article first appeared on Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service and is republished here under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
