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Bill > AB75


WI AB75

Department of Justice collection and reporting of certain criminal case data. (FE)


summary

Introduced
02/28/2025
In Committee
05/12/2025
Crossed Over
03/13/2025
Passed
Dead

Introduced Session

Potential new amendment
2025-2026 Regular Session

Bill Summary

This bill requires the Department of Justice to collect from the director of state courts all of the following information for each criminal case: 1) the county in which the case was filed; 2) the name of the prosecuting attorney assigned to the case; 3) the name of the court official assigned to the case; 4) the criminal charge filed; 5) the charging recommendation from the referring law enforcement agency, if applicable; 6) for each case, whether the court released the defendant without bail, upon the execution of an unsecured appearance bond, upon the execution of an appearance bond with sufficient solvent sureties, or upon the deposit of cash in lieu of sureties, or denied release, and the name of the court official who made the decision; 7) for each case for which a court required the execution of an appearance bond with sufficient solvent sureties, the monetary amount of the bond and the name of the court official who made the decision; 8) for each case for which a court required the deposit of cash in lieu of sureties, the monetary amount of cash required and the name of the court official who made the decision; 9) any other conditions of release imposed on the defendant and the name of the court official who made the decision; 10) whether any plea bargain was offered in the case; 11) whether a deferred prosecution agreement was offered in the case; 12) whether any charge relating to the case was dismissed; and 13) whether the case resulted in a conviction. Under the bill, DOJ must annually report the information collected to the chief clerk of each house of the legislature for distribution to the appropriate standing committees, and must maintain a database on its website that contains the information in a searchable format, for a period of 10 years after a criminal charge is filed. Under the bill, DOJ must ensure that the information provided in the database does not contain a criminal defendant[s personally identifying information. For further information see the state and local fiscal estimate, which will be printed as an appendix to this bill.

AI Summary

This bill requires the Department of Justice (DOJ) to collect comprehensive data on criminal cases from state court directors, creating a detailed and transparent reporting system. The bill mandates gathering extensive information for each criminal case, including the county where the case was filed, names of prosecuting attorneys and court officials, specific criminal charges, charging recommendations from law enforcement, bail and release details, bond amounts, conditions of release, plea bargain offerings, deferred prosecution agreements, charge dismissals, and case conviction outcomes. The DOJ must establish a searchable, publicly accessible online database containing this information, which will be maintained for 10 years after a criminal charge is filed, with a strict requirement to protect defendants' personal identifying information. Additionally, the department must submit an annual report to legislative leadership, providing these comprehensive criminal case statistics. This legislation aims to increase transparency in the criminal justice system by creating a centralized, easily accessible repository of criminal case data that can be analyzed by researchers, policymakers, and the public while safeguarding individual privacy.

Committee Categories

Justice

Sponsors (13)

Last Action

Received from Senate amended and concurred in as amended (Senate amendment 1 adopted) (on 05/15/2025)

bill text


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