The first antecedent to the parole law in Wisconsin was the good time law enacted in 1860. This law provided for allowance of five days per month diminution of sentence for good behavior as well as other provisions. This was followed by the Indeterminate Sentence Law of 1889 (Chap. 390). This legislation gave the authority to grant parole to the State Board of Control and stipulated the various requirements for eligibility. In 1909 the Board of Control was also given supervisory responsibility for offenders placed on probation. Not all penal institutions in the state were covered by parole legislation. This was changed in 1919 (Chap. 615, Laws of 1919) when legislation placed paroling authority for inmates of all state penal institutions including the Milwaukee House of Correction under the Board of Control. In 1939 with the creation of the Division of Corrections, responsibility for parole was transferred to the Bureau of Probation and Parole. A separate Parole Board was created by Chap. 221, Laws of 1979 to advise the Secretary of Health and Social Services on parole decisions. Its members were appointed by the secretary. The Parole Board has since been replaced by the Parole Commission (1989 Wis Act 107) whose chairperson is appointed by the governor.
