2008 Woodie Awards
Not guilty records taken off CCAP if legislation passes
Alex Koldeway
Issue date: 2/20/08 Section: News
Sen. Julie Lassa, D-Stevens Point, and Rep. Robin Vos, R-Racine, are seeking to remove cases where the defendant was found not guilty, or the charges were dismissed from the Consolidated Court Automated Program.
CCAP contains information about Wisconsin circuit court cases, both civil and criminal. The information is available for everyone to view on the Wisconsin Circuit Court Access web site.
People can search for cases using the name of any person involved and can see the decisions and outcomes of those cases. Everything from traffic citations to felonies are listed on the program.
The reason for the new law is possible discrimination against innocent people. While there are laws against employers using the information to discriminate, Lassa said it still happens. The information could prevent people from getting jobs and lead to other potential problems. Peter Janecky, a journalism professor at UW-Whitewater, said he used CCAP extensively when he worked for the Lake Geneva Regional News. He said the web site was very useful for covering court cases for crimes committed in Walworth County.
While the information is useful to reporters, Janecky doesn't think the new legislation would cause too much harm.
"The only instance where I could see a problem is if the person committed another crime down the road," he said.
The new legislation would remove cases or charges from CCAP if the defendant has been found not guilty or the case has been overturned within 90 days for civil forfeitures and misdemeanors and 120 days for cases involving felonies.
Janecky said the 120-day window is enough time for reporters to get any information they might need.
"They're giving you 120 days," he said. "I don't think it's going to be a problem."
While Janecky doesn't think the legislation would have a negative impact, he would prefer to keep things the way they are.
"I'd love to see all the information kept there forever," he said.
CCAP contains information about Wisconsin circuit court cases, both civil and criminal. The information is available for everyone to view on the Wisconsin Circuit Court Access web site.
People can search for cases using the name of any person involved and can see the decisions and outcomes of those cases. Everything from traffic citations to felonies are listed on the program.
The reason for the new law is possible discrimination against innocent people. While there are laws against employers using the information to discriminate, Lassa said it still happens. The information could prevent people from getting jobs and lead to other potential problems. Peter Janecky, a journalism professor at UW-Whitewater, said he used CCAP extensively when he worked for the Lake Geneva Regional News. He said the web site was very useful for covering court cases for crimes committed in Walworth County.
While the information is useful to reporters, Janecky doesn't think the new legislation would cause too much harm.
"The only instance where I could see a problem is if the person committed another crime down the road," he said.
The new legislation would remove cases or charges from CCAP if the defendant has been found not guilty or the case has been overturned within 90 days for civil forfeitures and misdemeanors and 120 days for cases involving felonies.
Janecky said the 120-day window is enough time for reporters to get any information they might need.
"They're giving you 120 days," he said. "I don't think it's going to be a problem."
While Janecky doesn't think the legislation would have a negative impact, he would prefer to keep things the way they are.
"I'd love to see all the information kept there forever," he said.
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