Victims in the Criminal Justice System

11 October

• Ishmael Ozanne, Dane County DA
• Todd Moyer, Court Commissioner
• Dave Mahoney, Dane County Sherriff
• Bail is not to hold people-- it's to ensure a court appearance. It's better and easier to do the bail process if there has been a charge, although some people may qualify for a bail hearing before the charging decision is made.
• "Reality is stranger than fiction, because fiction has to make sense."
• "Active GPS" is real-time monitoring; "Passive" just uploads location data at the end of the day when charging. There's also technology to monitor alcohol coming out of your pores; this is maybe in beta?
• The recent creation of the felony crime of "strangulation" means that a lot of domestic abuse defendants have to wait in jail until a bail hearing.
• Bail monitoring program: operated by the courts
• Bail jumping is a lock: it does not depend on victims for information about the crime. It is a tool for holding people accountable. DAs don't know all of the pressures on victims (financial, family, pets, custody, etc.); there's also history in other jurisdictions. And there's very little time between when someone gets arrested and when the bail decision has to be made.
• Why are victim notification systems opt-in rather then opt-out? Trying to give victims their power back: letting them make the choice.
• WI Act 35: concealed carry
• "How do I get out of a fight? How do I say no?" These are questions lots of folks don't know how to answer.