The victim was just 4 years old when the nightmare began. By age 6, Curtis O’Brien had repeatedly molested her, shattering her innocence in a basement while Backyardigans flickered on a TV screen. At 10, she poured her pain into a nine-page victim impact statement for Dane County Judge Susan Crawford, writing, “I felt really scared… I wanted my mommy.” By 14, she was battling PTSD, anxiety, and depression—trauma that lingers even now. 

Yet, when it was Crawford’s turn to deliver justice, she handed O’Brien—a man facing 60 years for a Class B felony—a mere four-year sentence. With time served, he’s already free, living in Madison today, according to Wisconsin’s Sex Offender Registry. 

Crawford, a Dane County Circuit Court judge since 2018 and now a candidate for Wisconsin Supreme Court, justified the sentence by citing O’Brien’s need for “rehabilitative services,” admitting it was “less than what the state is recommending.” The prosecutor had sought 15 years—10 in confinement—calling it “repeated sexual assaults of the same child.” Crawford’s four years, with six years of extended supervision, barely scratched the surface of accountability. Crawford previously allowed O’Brien to roam on a $500 signature bond, even living across from a Black Earth elementary school, sparking outrage among parents who feared for their children’s safety.

Sentencing statement from Crawford on the O’Brien case

This case isn’t an anomaly—it’s a window into Crawford’s pattern of leniency toward serious offenders. Since taking the bench, she has consistently handed down sentences far below prosecutorial recommendations, often prioritizing rehabilitation over punishment, even for violent and sexual crimes. 

Take Kevin Welton, convicted in 2020 of three counts of first-degree sexual assault for molesting two girls, ages 6 and 7, in a Middleton swimming pool. Facing a potential 100-year sentence, Welton received just four years from Crawford—served concurrently—despite the prosecutor’s push for 10 years. She called his acts “less severe” than other cases, ignoring the lifelong scars left on his victims. Welton, too, is free now, living near a school in New London.

Her tenure reflects a judicial philosophy that critics argue softens the consequences for society’s worst offenders. Her defenders might point to her decade as a prosecutor in the Wisconsin Department of Justice, where she handled hundreds of felony cases or her time as chief legal counsel to Governor Jim Doyle. But her courtroom decisions tell a different story—one of compassion misdirected toward perpetrators rather than victims.

The O’Brien case crystallizes this critique. The sentencing transcript reveals Crawford’s uncertainty—she even asked attorneys to clarify whether lifetime sex offender registration was mandatory (it was)—and her focus on O’Brien’s cognitive limitations over the victim’s suffering. “It will never go away for her,” the girl’s mother told the court, recounting how her daughter endured pelvic exams at age 6 and clung to the van, terrified to leave her side. Yet Crawford’s ruling left the family feeling unheard, while O’Brien walked free in under two years.

Now, as Crawford campaigns against former Attorney General Brad Schimel for a Supreme Court seat, her record faces scrutiny. Schimel, endorsed by law enforcement, contrasts sharply with Crawford’s approach, which seems to gamble on rehabilitation at the expense of public safety. 

The Wisconsin Supreme Court race will take place on Tuesday, April 1st.