CCAP - Wisconsin Court Access Online (move, privacy, charges)

[FreeSpirited1]

If you file - as a victim - of domestic abuse...your name is there. What, exactly, did I do wrong that my name should be on public record?

I protected myself.

You guys are insane..."stay out of trouble and don't worry"...well, I really tried to tell that to my ex at the time who threatened to kill me that I really ought to stay out of trouble...

I am not saying EVERY employer uses it, but I am saying it can be used to eliminate as a potential job candidate former victims of domestic abuse, like me if the employer wants. Legally they can't discriminate, but privately they can, and most employers own private businesses...you get that, I hope.

I will add, as well, that the Milwaukee CD forum is not a nice place, partly due to you guys/girls who are so dense you cannot read the finer points of anything and you are not very friendly or helpful.

Why are you even on this board, if your only going to be jerks and not listen to people? I don't get it. Other forums are very nice compared to this one. I posted here for opinions, and sure you are entitled but not to the effort of not reading the original and following posts.

I've not seen one bit of positive advice or encouragement on this forum from the usual ones who post here.

Anyway, obviously only one or two other CD'ers seem to actually know how to read, so I'll leave the rest of you to your meanness, close-mindedness & bickering, as I won't be bothering with this mess of a forum anymore.

[KC3700]

Originally Posted by FreeSpirited1

I will add, as well, that the Milwaukee CD forum is not a nice place, partly due to you guys/girls who are so dense you cannot read the finer points of anything and you are not very friendly or helpful.

Why are you even on this board, if your only going to be jerks and not listen to people? I don't get it. Other forums are very nice compared to this one. I posted here for opinions, and sure you are entitled but not to the effort of not reading the original and following posts.

I've not seen one bit of positive advice or encouragement on this forum from the usual ones who post here.

Anyway, obviously only one or two other CD'ers seem to actually know how to read, so I'll leave the rest of you to your meanness, close-mindedness & bickering, as I won't be bothering with this mess of a forum anymore.

Do you actually think before you speak? How are you going to make these posts about how everybody is "so mean" and then at the same time gun on us and insult our intelligence.

Also, how are you going to complain about us 'not listening' just because we don't immediately roll over to your raggedy arguments?

You seem to be the one who doesn't want to listen. You keep making the same argument over and over and don't respond to other's experiences with this system. There are people on this forum (myself included) who have used this vital tool to find out that people we were considering trusting turned out to be violent career criminals. But you don't seem to care. You seem to only look at how this affects your own situation and not how CCAP benefits the community as a whole.

Originally Posted by FreeSpirited1

Anyway, obviously only one or two other CD'ers seem to actually know how to read, so I'll leave the rest of you to your meanness, close-mindedness & bickering, as I won't be bothering with this mess of a forum anymore.

As far as this thread running it's course, now that we don't have to worry about long-winded posts about how everybody is closed-minded we should leave this thread open. It's an interesting issue.

[karfar]

Originally Posted by FreeSpirited1

If you file - as a victim - of domestic abuse...your name is there. What, exactly, did I do wrong that my name should be on public record?

I protected myself.

You guys are insane..."stay out of trouble and don't worry"...well, I really tried to tell that to my ex at the time who threatened to kill me that I really ought to stay out of trouble...

I am not saying EVERY employer uses it, but I am saying it can be used to eliminate as a potential job candidate former victims of domestic abuse, like me if the employer wants. Legally they can't discriminate, but privately they can, and most employers own private businesses...you get that, I hope.

I will add, as well, that the Milwaukee CD forum is not a nice place, partly due to you guys/girls who are so dense you cannot read the finer points of anything and you are not very friendly or helpful.

Why are you even on this board, if your only going to be jerks and not listen to people? I don't get it. Other forums are very nice compared to this one. I posted here for opinions, and sure you are entitled but not to the effort of not reading the original and following posts.

I've not seen one bit of positive advice or encouragement on this forum from the usual ones who post here.

Anyway, obviously only one or two other CD'ers seem to actually know how to read, so I'll leave the rest of you to your meanness, close-mindedness & bickering, as I won't be bothering with this mess of a forum anymore.

Then don't post on here, see ya!

[Milwaukee City]

Then don't date losers!

[FreeSpirited1]

to the benefit of other people who may want information on this very important issue:

curse of CCAP, The | La Crosse Tribune Newspaper | Find Articles at BNET

"In the past year, Christen said he's confident he has been denied at least five jobs because employers see his record on WCCA."

"Employers often don't understand a potential employee's offense, Bousquet said. A charge of disorderly conduct could be anything from swearing to just short of battery, said La Crosse County District Attorney Scott Horne."

"Users, in general, are not court savvy and they have problems understanding the offenses and the Web site," Bousquet said.

And even if employers understand the charge itself, they still don't know the circumstances that led to the~ offense, Frantz said."

and another article:

2008 Public Records Audit

Although Matt’s mother knows it is illegal to discriminate based on convictions or pending court cases, she says she believes potential employers are checking her son’s record on Wisconsin’s online database, commonly referred to as CCAP, and not hiring him because of it.

“He’s a wonderful and gifted writer, but it will be difficult for him to get a job as a writer with this CCAP situation as it is,” said Matt’s mom, who asked that her family’s names not be used for this story. “He has this stigma now attached to his name.”

Despite the existence of the oversight committee, Schneider sees the heavy traffic as a sign the site is being used improperly.

“Right now there are three to four million hits on the site everyday,” Schneider said. “Those are not legitimate hits. Those are people who are just being nosy for the most part.”

Ok, one more:

Not guilty records taken off CCAP if legislation passes - News

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.



Sorry boys & girls - but I'm right. Now I will leave you to your silliness.

[Jesse276]

Wow, a mother sticking up for her son, that's credible. What proof does he have he was denied those jobs because of CCAP? It's all conjecture, no facts.

[Marquette3L]

I can't believe that there are people on here demanding proof that people use CCAP to discriminate against others - But then also argue that they have a "right" to view dismissed charges because they want to check up on people. ...Just think about that!



I DARE ANY PROPONENT OF CCAP (in its current form) to answer the following question:

Why do you want to find out if someone was acquitted of a crime, if not for the purpose of discriminating against them?

If you are honest with yourself in answering this question (hint: it's a trick question), you will understand why people deserve to have their acquittals removed from CCAP.

[Milwaukee City]

Why do you want to find out if someone was acquitted of a crime, if not for the purpose of discriminating against them?

If I am a landlord and I see on a prospective renters CCAP that he has a laundry list of fraud cases or money judgments that were settled out of court, I think I would want to know. I think their is a difference from being squeaky clean and having no record on CCAP and having 23 court appearances and never being charged or having the issue "settled out of court". Think mobsters, how many times have they been acquitted when we all know the truth or how about our local politicians who have not been charged or the case was dropped but yet we all know the truth.

[Marquette3L]

Originally Posted by Milwaukee City

If I am a landlord and I see on a prospective renters CCAP that he has a laundry list of fraud cases or money judgments that were settled out of court, I think I would want to know. I think their is a difference from being squeaky clean and having no record on CCAP and having 23 court appearances and never being charged or having the issue "settled out of court". Think mobsters, how many times have they been acquitted when we all know the truth or how about our local politicians who have not been charged or the case was dropped but yet we all know the truth.

This paragraph symbolizes perfectly the fundamental flaw in your side's argument: you are basically saying, "I want to know if a person was acquitted so that I can use that fact against them."

Reality check time: Once investigated and charged, the vast, VAST majority of guilty defendants do not walk away free and easy. If a prosecutor is bringing charges against someone who somehow got off once before, you can be certain that the DA will wait for an airtight case the second time. The high profile mobsters and politicians who get off time after time are FAR from the norm. Those cases involve high-priced defense attorneys, not overworked public defenders.

Either way, you really represent exactly what is wrong with your side of this issue. You (like most people, so don't worry) are the type of person who looks at dropped charges on CCAP and assumes guilt. Sometimes, the person may have just gotten lucky. However, many times, the prosecutor was overzealous or a complaining witness mis-IDed or just flat out lied. CCAP gives us no useful information, so it is almost natural to assume guilt. This is simply wrong, however, and demonstrates how the CCAP disclaimer is of absolutely no value.

It seems like it is hard for some of you to believe, but innocent people are wrongfully charged with crimes - it happens every day. Why should that fact doom them for the rest of their lives?

Regardless, the question in my previous post still stands. Any other takers?


P.S. - In the meantime, this was in the paper a couple of days ago: Tenants gain fairness with CCAP reform - JSOnline

[Jesse276]

One person feeling a certain way does not represent a "side" of any debate. You may feel comfortable lumping people together and making assumptions, but it makes you no better than the phantom people that discriminate based on what they find on CCAP.