Those in Wisconsin’s legal community who oppose truth-in-sentencing understand their chances for overturning, or at least toning down, the law depend on how well they play the long game.

A 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals decision released this week highlights the frustration some judges have with mandatory minimum sentences, as attorneys say a judge's decision to give a lower-than-mandated sentence was illegal.

More than half of all black men in Milwaukee County have spent time in prison, according to a University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee study.

2009AP1505-CR State v. Thompson

Due Process Mandatory minimum sentences The State appeals an order granting Thompson a new trial after a jury found him guilty of one count of first-degree sexual assault of a child under the age of thirteen. The circuit court concluded that the failure to inform Thompson of the applicable mandatory minimum sentence prior to trial violated Thompson’s constitutional due process ...