Legislation addresses staffing in the justice system and case backlogs that hurt local taxpayers
Madison, WI — State Representative David Steffen (R-Howard) along with State Senator Eric Wimberger (R Oconto) introduced a bill that will address critical staffing needs within Wisconsin’s criminal justice system by allocating new assistant district attorneys, assistant state public defenders, public defender support staff, and circuit court judges across the state. The effort comes as the state faces a felony backlog of over 12,000 cases.
“Backlogs and delays have resulted in public safety concerns, jail overcrowding, potential civil rights violations, and ballooning costs to county property taxpayers. Our current biennial budget took initial steps to alleviate these backlogs in our criminal justice system, but this legislation is necessary to continue resolving this issue,” said Rep. Steffen.
The Justice for All Act utilizes existing workforce assessments to determine areas of need and appropriate allocation of new staff throughout the state. Overall, this proposal adds 64.5 assistant district attorneys, 22 state public defenders, 41 public defender support staff, and four circuit court judge positions across the state over the next biennium.
“Staffing issues in our justice system are creating a disservice to victims, the accused, and property taxpayers. This failure to perform an essential state duty is an issue of public safety, justice, and local financial security. The Justice for All Act takes necessary action to relieve these pressures both statewide and for the people of Brown County,” said Rep. Steffen.
The proposal is currently circulating for co-sponsorship support before it will be available for consideration at a public hearing.
For more information, please contact the office of State Representative David Steffen at (608) 237-9104 or by email at Rep.Steffen@legis.wisconsin.gov.
