Bill

Bill > SB115


WI SB115

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


summary

Introduced
03/07/2025
In Committee
05/08/2025
Crossed Over
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) LRB-2244/1 MJW:skw 2025 - 2026 Legislature SENATE BILL 115 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 the director of state courts. Specifically, the DOJ must gather detailed information for each criminal case, including the county where the case was filed, names of prosecuting attorneys and court officials, criminal charges, law enforcement charging recommendations, bail and release conditions, and case outcomes such as plea bargains, dismissals, and convictions. The department must create a public, searchable online database that maintains this information for 10 years after a criminal charge is filed, ensuring that no personally identifying information about defendants is included. Additionally, the DOJ must submit an annual report to the state legislature's chief clerks, who will distribute the information to appropriate standing committees. The bill applies to criminal cases entered into the system from the effective date, which will be the first day of the seventh month after the bill's publication, requiring circuit court clerks to collect and provide the necessary case data to the DOJ.

Committee Categories

Justice

Sponsors (15)

Last Action

Available for scheduling (on 05/08/2025)

bill text


bill summary

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