{"id":1315043,"date":"2026-03-13T06:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-03-13T11:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wisconsinwatch.org\/?p=1315043"},"modified":"2026-03-11T15:13:23","modified_gmt":"2026-03-11T20:13:23","slug":"wisconsin-parole-commission-derek-williams-prison-work-release","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wisconsinwatch.org\/2026\/03\/wisconsin-parole-commission-derek-williams-prison-work-release\/","title":{"rendered":"What do you do when the Parole Commission says you\u2019re lying? Following up with Derek Williams","gt_translate_keys":[{"key":"rendered","format":"text"}]},"content":{"rendered":"Reading Time: <\/b><\/span> 3<\/span> minutes<\/span><\/span>\n

After nearly 30 years in prison, Derek Williams appreciates the progress he\u2019s made in his pursuit of parole. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

NNS previously reported<\/a> that Williams\u2019 180-year sentence for a string of armed robberies was reduced after he protected a correctional officer during a stabbing. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The sentence reduction made him eligible for parole decades earlier than he would have been otherwise. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

He said he\u2019s been doing all he can to go from parole eligibility to freedom.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Right now, he\u2019s housed at the Sturtevant Transitional Facility, a minimum-security prison. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Five days a week, he is transported to the Racine Correctional Institution for his job in the gatehouse. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI walk around freely,\u201d Williams said. \u201cI see every staff member and every visitor that comes through.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But what he wants is work release, something fundamentally different. <\/p>\n\n\n\t\n\t\t

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\n\t\t\t\t\tRelated Story<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<\/h2>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t
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His 180-year prison sentence was cut after saving a guard\u2019s life. Years later, he\u2019s still waiting to go home.<\/a><\/h3>\t\t\t\t\t\t

In 2023, a judge cut Derek Williams\u2019 prison sentence in half, making him eligible for parole. Williams now faces an uncertain parole process.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/article>\n\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n\t<\/div>\n\t\n\n\n

Williams, 51, said he has always understood that a key way to demonstrate readiness for parole is doing work release \u2013 in which the Wisconsin Department of Corrections allows incarcerated people to leave a prison for a job in the community and return after their shift. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Williams said his pursuit of parole hit a major setback because his pursuit of work release has hit one. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In February, the Wisconsin Parole Commission deferred Williams\u2019 parole for six months and withdrew its endorsement for work release, citing concerns that he was dishonest during his January parole hearing. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is a setback driving Williams, his wife and other loved ones crazy.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI\u2019m literally being held in prison because the prison is not letting me out to do work release,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A Wisconsin Watch investigation<\/a> found that work release opportunities in the state were limited and that prison officials weren\u2019t tracking participation rates.<\/p>\n\n\n\t\n\t\t

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Wisconsin\u2019s work-release program promises opportunity. Prisoners say jobs are scarce.<\/a><\/h2>\t\t\t\t\t\t

Wisconsin was the first state to let some incarcerated people work in the community, allowing them to save money and pay for room and board. Today, prisoners say there aren\u2019t nearly enough of these jobs to go around, and prison officials say they don\u2019t keep count.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/article>\n\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n\t<\/div>\n\t\n\n\n

Accusation of dishonesty<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The commission said Williams falsely claimed during his January hearing that at a previous hearing a commissioner had discussed initiating a pre-release investigation. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A pre-release investigation is conducted by correctional staff to verify housing, employment and public safety before parole is granted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After reviewing the audio and transcript from the earlier hearing, the commission wrote that there was no mention of a pre-release investigation. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Williams\u2019 \u201cwillingness to be dishonest during a parole review (and about another parole commissioner) heightens the commissioner\u2019s stated reservations,\u201d the Wisconsin Parole Commission said in its Feb. 2 decision.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Williams disputes this characterization, saying he was attempting to explain prior discussions, not mislead the panel or manipulate the parole process.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He also said he was not provided an opportunity to clarify his comments before the Wisconsin Parole Board made its decision.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2018Not an entitlement\u2019<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Despite the different claims about what happened, the effect on Williams\u2019 prospects is clear. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Robert Miller is the warden of the Racine Correctional Institution, who oversees off-site authorizations for people housed at Sturtevant. Miller told Rikki Williams in an email that because the Parole Commission no longer endorses work release, her husband\u2019s anticipated release date could be \u201csignificantly in the future.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n

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\"A
Rikki Williams, the wife of Derek Williams, was told in an email that her husband\u2019s release date could be delayed. (Jonathan Aguilar \/ Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service \/ CatchLight Local)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Beth Hardtke, director of communications for the Wisconsin Department of Corrections, said in an email that work release decisions are made on a case-by-case basis. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWork release placement decisions and approvals may vary based on the individual and the types of conviction(s),\u201d Hardtke said. \u201cThe individual\u2019s conduct and work history \u2026 may be considered.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In its decision, the Wisconsin Parole Commission also cited Williams\u2019 criminal history and public safety concerns but did not elaborate on them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A spokesperson for the commission previously told NNS that \u201ca parole grant is not an entitlement.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For now, Williams remains in the gatehouse.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

Jonathan Aguilar is a visual journalist at Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service who is supported through a partnership between <\/em>CatchLight Local <\/em><\/a>and <\/em>Report for America<\/em><\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false,"gt_translate_keys":[{"key":"rendered","format":"html"}]},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Derek Williams disputes the conclusion of the Wisconsin Parole Commission that he was dishonest. He says the setback slowed his progress toward parole. <\/p>\n","protected":false,"gt_translate_keys":[{"key":"rendered","format":"html"}]},"author":1088,"featured_media":1315044,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"single-feature.php","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"gigafact_has_fact_brief":false,"gigafact_remote_fact_brief_post_id":0,"gigafact_remote_sync_timestamp":"","gigafact_remote_sync_status":"","gigafact_remote_sync_response":"","gigafact_has_been_published":false,"newspack_ads_suppress_ads":false,"newspack_popups_has_disabled_popups":false,"newspack_sponsor_sponsorship_scope":"","newspack_sponsor_native_byline_display":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_native_category_display":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_underwriter_style":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_underwriter_placement":"inherit","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"apple_news_api_created_at":"2026-03-13T14:19:22Z","apple_news_api_id":"3112b567-a69a-414c-91a4-ea63743dbd12","apple_news_api_modified_at":"2026-03-13T14:19:23Z","apple_news_api_revision":"AAAAAAAAAAD\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/w==","apple_news_api_share_url":"https:\/\/apple.news\/AMRK1Z6aaQUyRpOpjdD29Eg","apple_news_cover_media_provider":"image","apple_news_coverimage":0,"apple_news_coverimage_caption":"","apple_news_cover_video_id":0,"apple_news_cover_video_url":"","apple_news_cover_embedwebvideo_url":"","apple_news_is_hidden":"","apple_news_is_paid":"","apple_news_is_preview":"","apple_news_is_sponsored":"","apple_news_maturity_rating":"","apple_news_metadata":"\"\"","apple_news_pullquote":"","apple_news_pullquote_position":"","apple_news_slug":"","apple_news_sections":[],"apple_news_suppress_video_url":false,"apple_news_use_image_component":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_newspack_byline_active":false,"_newspack_byline":"","newspack_content_restriction_is_exempt":false,"newspack_featured_image_position":"large","newspack_post_subtitle":"Derek Williams disputes the conclusion of the Wisconsin Parole Commission that he was dishonest. He says the setback slowed his progress toward parole.","newspack_article_summary_title":"Overview:","newspack_article_summary":"","newspack_hide_updated_date":false,"newspack_show_updated_date":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"_wpas_customize_per_network":false},"categories":[87],"tags":[2989,3849,3656,1265,2990],"partner":[],"newspack_spnsrs_tax":[],"type-of-work":[],"coauthors":[7027],"class_list":["post-1315043","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-justice-public-safety","tag-justice","tag-milwaukee-neighborhood-news-service","tag-news","tag-parole","tag-prison","entry"],"fact_brief":null,"apple_news_notices":[],"parsely":{"version":"1.1.0","canonical_url":"https:\/\/wisconsinwatch.org\/2026\/03\/wisconsin-parole-commission-derek-williams-prison-work-release\/","smart_links":{"inbound":0,"outbound":0},"traffic_boost_suggestions_count":0,"meta":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","headline":"What do you do when the Parole Commission says you\u2019re lying? Following up with Derek Williams","url":"http:\/\/wisconsinwatch.org\/2026\/03\/wisconsin-parole-commission-derek-williams-prison-work-release\/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"http:\/\/wisconsinwatch.org\/2026\/03\/wisconsin-parole-commission-derek-williams-prison-work-release\/"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/wisconsinwatch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/DSC_2524-1-scaled-1.jpg?fit=140%2C93&quality=100&ssl=1","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/wisconsinwatch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/DSC_2524-1-scaled-1.jpg?fit=2560%2C1703&quality=100&ssl=1"},"articleSection":"Justice & Safety","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Devin Blake \/ Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service"}],"creator":["Devin Blake \/ Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service"],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Wisconsin Watch","logo":"https:\/\/wisconsinwatch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/ww-logo-footer-1.png"},"keywords":["justice","milwaukee neighborhood news service","news","parole","prison"],"dateCreated":"2026-03-13T11:00:00Z","datePublished":"2026-03-13T11:00:00Z","dateModified":"2026-03-13T11:00:00Z"},"rendered":"