MILWAUKEE — Surrounded by the lively sounds of a booming business Saturday afternoon, Doyle Sprewer helped educate people looking for a second chance about the official act of forgiveness guaranteed by Wisconsin’s constitution.
For about the past two year’s Spewer has been holding regular felony pardon information session at Gee’s Clipper’s at the owner’s request.
“When Gee brought it to me it made sense because of the comfortability,” Sprewer said. “It's just a community feeling to be able to come to the barbershop I don’t have to worry about being judged and I can get the help I need.”
In Wisconsin people convicted of a felony may apply for a pardon if they’re sentence was completed at least 5 years prior, have no pending criminal charges, and are not registered sex offenders.
After receiving a full and unconditional pardon from Governor Tony Evers back in 2019, Sprewer said he quickly realized how many others, with felony convictions of there own, had no idea it was an option, let alone how to complete the process.
“I’ve dealt with people that’s been in the eighties that have had cases before we were born,” Sprewer said. “Just to hear their stories is kind of touching to say ‘hey I didn’t know this was available' nobody talks about this.”
So, Sprewer, now a chaplain with the Milwaukee Fire Department, started talking about it in his free time.
He said his sessions at Gee’s have been attended by people of all backgrounds, from all over the state, including Eau Claire and Green Bay.
Since getting his own pardon, Sprewer has helped hundreds of people, who can't afford the thousands of dollars needed to hire an attorney, learn how to advocate for themselves.
Aaron McClyde is one of those people who came to Gee’s Saturday, looking for some guidance. McClyde said it’s been ten years since his last felony conviction but he still has to deal with obstacles around things like housing and employment.
"I'm not that type of person no more, you know I changed my ways for the better,” he said, "Everybody deserve the opportunity to better their life without the past running their future."
Sprewer said, with the right appeal a pardon can help make that happen. He also said while every case is different and it’s ultimately up to the Pardon Advisory Board to decide, people should at least have the information needed to try.
“Your body of work is the most important thing,” he explained. “I always tell people it's what you did since your conviction.”
Before working as Chaplain for the MFD, because of his pardon, Sprewer was able to work as a recruit officer for Milwaukee Police and a probation agent for the state.
According to a July news release, Governor Evers has pardon at total of 1,029 people during his time in office, restoring their right to serve on a jury, hold public office, and obtain certain professional licenses.
Evers is currently the record holder for issuing the most gubernatorial pardons, surpassing former Republican Governor Julius Heil’s record of 943 between 1939 and 1943.
It’s important to note, a pardon does not expunge court records. For more information on the process you can head to Evers' Pardon Information page.
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