48.396(3)(c)

(c)

48.396(5)(a)4.

4. The relevance of the information sought to the petitioner’s reason for seeking the information.

48.396

48.396 Records.

48.396(2)

(2)

48.396(5)

(5)

48.396(5)(a)1.

1. The type of information sought.

48.396(5)(a)2.

2. The reason the information is being sought.

48.396(5)(a)3.

3. The basis for the petitioner’s belief that the information is contained in the records.

48.396(5)(a)5.

5. The petitioner’s efforts to obtain the information from other sources.

48.396(1b)

(1b) If requested by the parent, guardian or legal custodian of a child who is the subject of a law enforcement officer’s report, or if requested by the child, if 14 years of age or over, a law enforcement agency may, subject to official agency policy, provide to the parent, guardian, legal custodian or child a copy of that report. If requested by the parent, guardian or legal custodian of a child expectant mother of an unborn child who is the subject of a law enforcement officer’s report, if requested by an expectant mother of an unborn child who is the subject of a law enforcement officer’s report, if 14 years of age or over, or if requested by an unborn child through the unborn child’s guardian ad litem, a law enforcement agency may, subject to official agency policy, provide to the parent, guardian, legal custodian, expectant mother or unborn child by the unborn child’s guardian ad litem a copy of that report.

48.396(1)

(1) Law enforcement officers’ records of children shall be kept separate from records of adults. Law enforcement officers’ records of the adult expectant mothers of unborn children shall be kept separate from records of other adults. Law enforcement officers’ records of children and the adult expectant mothers of unborn children shall not be open to inspection or their contents disclosed except under sub. (1b), (1d), (5), or (6) or § 48.293 or by order of the court. This subsection does not apply to the representatives of newspapers or other reporters of news who wish to obtain information for the purpose of reporting news without revealing the identity of the child or adult expectant mother involved, to the confidential exchange of information between the police and officials of the public or private school attended by the child or other law enforcement or social welfare agencies, or to children 10 years of age or older who are subject to the jurisdiction of the court of criminal jurisdiction. A public school official who obtains information under this subsection shall keep the information confidential as required under § 118.125, and a private school official who obtains information under this subsection shall keep the information confidential in the same manner as is required of a public school official under § 118.125. This subsection does not apply to the confidential exchange of information between the police and officials of the tribal school attended by the child if the police determine that enforceable protections are provided by a tribal school policy or tribal law that requires tribal school officials to keep the information confidential in a manner at least as stringent as is required of a public school official under § 118.125. A law enforcement agency that obtains information under this subsection shall keep the information confidential as required under this subsection and § 938.396 (1)(a). A social welfare agency that obtains information under this subsection shall keep the information confidential as required under §§ 48.78 and 938.78.

48.396(1d)

(1d) Upon the written permission of the parent, guardian or legal custodian of a child who is the subject of a law enforcement officer’s report or upon the written permission of the child, if 14 years of age or over, a law enforcement agency may, subject to official agency policy, make available to the person named in the permission any reports specifically identified by the parent, guardian, legal custodian or child in the written permission. Upon the written permission of the parent, guardian or legal custodian of a child expectant mother of an unborn child who is the subject of a law enforcement officer’s report, or of an expectant mother of an unborn child who is the subject of a law enforcement officer’s report, if 14 years of age or over, and of the unborn child by the unborn child’s guardian ad litem, a law enforcement agency may, subject to official agency policy, make available to the person named in the permission any reports specifically identified by the parent, guardian, legal custodian or expectant mother, and unborn child by the unborn child’s guardian ad litem in the written permission.

48.396(2)(a)

(a) Records of the court assigned to exercise jurisdiction under this chapter and ch. 938 and of courts exercising jurisdiction under § 48.16 shall be entered in books or deposited in files kept for that purpose only. They shall not be open to inspection or their contents disclosed except by order of the court assigned to exercise jurisdiction under this chapter and ch. 938 or as permitted under this subsection, sub. (b) or (c) 1. or (6), or § 48.375 (7)(e).

48.396(2)(ag)

(ag) Upon request of the parent, guardian or legal custodian of a child who is the subject of a record of a court specified in para. (a), or upon request of the child, if 14 years of age or over, the court shall open for inspection by the parent, guardian, legal custodian or child the records of the court relating to that child, unless the court finds, after due notice and hearing, that inspection of those records by the parent, guardian, legal custodian or child would result in imminent danger to anyone.

48.396(2)(aj)

(aj) Upon request of the parent, guardian or legal custodian of a child expectant mother of an unborn child who is the subject of a record of a court specified in para. (a), upon request of an expectant mother of an unborn child who is the subject of a record of a court specified in para. (a), if 14 years of age or over, or upon request of an unborn child by the unborn child’s guardian ad litem, the court shall open for inspection by the parent, guardian, legal custodian, expectant mother or unborn child by the unborn child’s guardian ad litem the records of the court relating to that expectant mother, unless the court finds, after due notice and hearing, that inspection of those records by the parent, guardian, legal custodian, expectant mother or unborn child by the unborn child’s guardian ad litem would result in imminent danger to anyone.

48.396(2)(am)

(am) Upon the written permission of the parent, guardian or legal custodian of a child who is the subject of a record of a court specified in para. (a), or upon the written permission of the child, if 14 years of age or over, the court shall open for inspection by the person named in the permission any records specifically identified by the parent, guardian, legal custodian or child in the written permission, unless the court finds, after due notice and hearing, that inspection of those records by the person named in the permission would result in imminent danger to anyone.

48.396(2)(ap)

(ap) Upon the written permission of the parent, guardian or legal custodian of a child expectant mother of an unborn child who is the subject of a record of a court specified in para. (a), or of an expectant mother of an unborn child who is the subject of a record of a court specified in para. (a), if 14 years of age or over, and of the unborn child by the unborn child’s guardian ad litem, the court shall open for inspection by the person named in the permission any records specifically identified by the parent, guardian, legal custodian or expectant mother, and unborn child by the unborn child’s guardian ad litem in the written permission, unless the court finds, after due notice and hearing, that inspection of those records by the person named in the permission would result in imminent danger to anyone.

48.396(2)(b)

(b) Upon request of the department or a federal agency to review court records for the purpose of monitoring and conducting periodic evaluations of activities as required by and implemented under 45 CFR 1355, 1356 and 1357, the court shall open those records for inspection by authorized representatives of the department or federal agency.

48.396(2)(dm)

(dm) Upon request of a court having jurisdiction over actions affecting the family, an attorney responsible for support enforcement under § 59.53 (6)(a) or a party to a paternity proceeding under subch. IX of ch. 767, the party’s attorney or the guardian ad litem for the child who is the subject of that proceeding to review or be provided with information from the records of the court assigned to exercise jurisdiction under this chapter and ch. 938 relating to the paternity of a child for the purpose of determining the paternity of the child or for the purpose of rebutting the presumption of paternity under § 891.405 or 891.41 (1), the court assigned to exercise jurisdiction under this chapter and ch. 938 shall open for inspection by the requester its records relating to the paternity of the child or disclose to the requester those records.

48.396(2)(dr)

(dr) Upon request of the department of corrections or any other person preparing a presentence investigation under § 972.15 to review court records for the purpose of preparing the presentence investigation, the court shall open for inspection by any authorized representative of the requester the records of the court relating to any child who has been the subject of a proceeding under this chapter.

48.396(2)(g)

(g) Upon request of any court assigned to exercise jurisdiction under this chapter and ch. 938, any municipal court exercising jurisdiction under § 938.17 (2), or a district attorney, corporation counsel, or city, village, or town attorney to review court records for the purpose of any proceeding in that court or upon request of the attorney or guardian ad litem for a party to a proceeding in that court to review court records for the purpose of that proceeding, the court shall open for inspection by any authorized representative of the requester the records of the court relating to any child who has been the subject of a proceeding under this chapter.

48.396(3)

(3)

48.396(2)(h)

(h) Upon request of the court having jurisdiction over an action affecting the family or of an attorney for a party or a guardian ad litem in an action affecting the family to review court records for the purpose of considering the custody of a child, the court assigned to exercise jurisdiction under this chapter and ch. 938 shall open for inspection by an authorized representative of the requester the records of the court relating to any child who has been the subject of a proceeding under this chapter.

48.396(3)(a)

(a) In this subsection, “court” means the court assigned to exercise jurisdiction under this chapter and ch. 938.

48.396(3)(b)

(b) The court may transfer to the department information contained in the electronic records of the court, regardless of whether the department is a party to the proceedings in which the electronic records containing that information were created, and the department may transfer to the court information contained in the electronic records of the department that are maintained in the statewide automated child welfare information system under § 48.47 (7g). The director of state courts may use the circuit court automated information systems established under § 758.19 (4) to facilitate the transfer of those electronic records between the court and the department. The director of state courts and the department shall specify what types of information may be transferred under this paragraph.

48.396(3)(c)1.

1. The department may allow access to any information transferred to the department under para. (b) only for the purpose of providing services under § 48.06, 48.067, 48.069, 938.06, 938,067, or 938.069. The department may allow that access regardless of whether the person who is allowed that access is a party to the proceedings in which the electronic records containing that information were created.

48.396(3)(c)2.

2. The court or the director of state courts may allow access to any information transferred to the court under para. (b) only to the extent that the information may be disclosed under this chapter or ch. 938.

48.396(3)(c)3.

3. The department, a court, the director of state courts, and any individual who is allowed access to any information transferred under para. (b) shall keep the information confidential and may use and further disclose the information only for the purpose described in subd. 1. or to the extent permitted under subd. 2.

48.396(3)(d)

(d) Any person who intentionally discloses information in violation of para. (c) may be required to forfeit not more than $5,000.

48.396(5)(a)

(a) Any person who is denied access to a record under sub. (1), (1b), (1d), or (6) may petition the court to order the disclosure of the records governed by the applicable subsection. The petition shall be in writing and shall describe as specifically as possible all of the following:

48.396(5)(b)

(b) The court shall notify the child, the child’s counsel, the child’s parents, appropriate law enforcement agencies and, if the child is an expectant mother of an unborn child under § 48.133, the unborn child by the unborn child’s guardian ad litem, or shall notify the adult expectant mother, the unborn child by the unborn child’s guardian ad litem and appropriate law enforcement agencies, in writing of the petition. If any person notified objects to the disclosure, the court may hold a hearing to take evidence relating to the petitioner’s need for the disclosure.

48.396(5)(c)

(c) The court shall make an inspection, which may be in camera, of the records of the child or expectant mother. If the court determines that the information sought is for good cause and that it cannot be obtained with reasonable effort from other sources, the court shall then determine whether the petitioner’s need for the information outweighs society’s interest in protecting its confidentiality. In making that determination, the court shall balance the interest of the petitioner in obtaining access to the record against the interest of the child or expectant mother in avoiding the stigma that might result from disclosure.

48.396(5)(d)

(d) If the court determines that disclosure is warranted, it shall order the disclosure of only as much information as is necessary to meet the petitioner’s need for the information.

48.396(5)(e)

(e) The court shall record the reasons for its decision to disclose or not to disclose the records of the child or expectant mother. All records related to a decision under this subsection are confidential.

48.396(6)

(6) Records of law enforcement officers and of the court assigned to exercise jurisdiction under this chapter and ch. 938 shall be open for inspection to authorized representatives of the department of corrections, the department of health services, the department of justice, or a district attorney for use in the prosecution of any proceeding or any evaluation conducted under ch. 980, if the records involve or relate to an individual who is the subject of the proceeding or evaluation. The court in which the proceeding under ch. 980 is pending may issue any protective orders that it determines are appropriate concerning information made available or disclosed under this subsection. Any representative of the department of corrections, the department of health services, the department of justice, or a district attorney may disclose information obtained under this subsection for any purpose consistent with any proceeding under ch. 980.