Madison Reporter

State Senator Julian Bradley and State Representative Chuck Wichgers have introduced legislation aimed at setting minimum bail amounts for repeat offenders in Wisconsin. The legislative move follows the case of Darrell Brooks Jr., who was released on low bail by the Milwaukee District Attorney's office and subsequently committed multiple homicides in Waukesha.

"Community safety has to be a factor as our state considers the flight risk of criminals," said Senator Bradley. "Wisconsin lives are in danger because of the low bail that soft-on-crime judges and DAs are currently setting. This revolving door for criminals must end. We must bring accountability and transparency to the court system to ensure serial criminals don't continually have the opportunities to put our communities and families in harm's way."

The legislative package includes three bills:

The first bill, co-authored by Senator Steve Nass, proposes a minimum bond requirement of $10,000 for individuals with prior felony or violent misdemeanor convictions. This measure aims to address concerns over lax bond policies.

The second bill, also co-authored by Nass, prohibits courts from issuing unsecured bonds or releasing without bail those previously convicted of bail jumping. Instead, defendants would need to secure a bond or deposit cash amounting to at least $5,000.

The third bill, co-authored by Senators Eric Wimberger and Nass, seeks to enhance transparency in pretrial releases by mandating a bond transparency report. The Department of Justice would be responsible for publishing detailed reports on crimes charged, release conditions, presiding judges, and prosecuting attorneys involved.