"Wisconsin Crimes" published

Consolidated Court Automation Programs (CCAP) has made available to judges an updated, electronic version of "Wisconsin Crimes - Elements, Definitions, and Penalties," a reference book addressing the elements of crimes and applicable penalties.

UW Law Professor and Associate Dean for Continuing Education David Schultz revised the publication, which was first drafted nearly 20 years ago by former Racine County Circuit Court Judge Dennis Flynn.

Judges have found the publication a useful tool to ensure parties have correctly stated the elements of a crime when taking a plea, said Judge Racine County Circuit Court Judge Gerald Ptacek, who serves on the CCAP Steering Committee. However, because the document had not been updated for a long time, it became less useful, Ptacek said.

The electronic version of the revised publication was released Nov. 2 and is available to judges in Microsoft Word format through CCAP's file servers in each county. The document may be opened in Word or by using a macro found on the CCAP toolbar in Word.  This macro is labeled "CrimesAndElement".  It will open the "Elements.doc" file and prompt for a statute number.

The publication provides a concise reference specifying the elements of crimes defined in the Wisconsin statutes and indicates the applicable penalty. Its primary intended use is by judges in accepting pleas of guilty.

Additional uses suggested by the law school include:

• by judges and lawyers in evaluating the sufficiency of criminal complaints;
• by law enforcement officers in making decisions about arrests and writing complete reports;
• by prosecutors in evaluating charging decisions and preparing for entry of a guilty plea;
• by defense counsel in advising clients regarding the plea decision and preparing for the entry of a guilty plea.

A hard copy of the document can be requested by contacting Professor David Schultz at the University of Wisconsin Law School, Continuing Education and Outreach office at (608) 262-6881 or via e-mail at deschult@wisc.edu. The cost of the publication for judges is $40.

The law school plans to update the publication every two years to incorporate changes from each legislative session.

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