Wisconsin Reducing Post-Pandemic Backlog of Criminal Cases

Thursday, December 5th, 2024 -- 10:01 AM

(Sarah Lehr, Wisconsin Public Radio) In Wisconsin, justice is getting somewhat speedier as courts work to reduce a post-pandemic backlog of criminal cases.

According to Sarah Lehr with Wisconsin Public Radio, in 2023, it took an average of 259 days, or about eight-and-a-half months, for a Wisconsin felony case to be resolved.

That’s five days faster than the average for the year prior, Wisconsin Court system data shows. And that’s despite the fact that circuit courts across Wisconsin handled a greater case load last year compared to 2022.

In 2023, there were 44,128 felony complaints filed, about 260 more than in 2022. Nonetheless, criminal cases are still taking longer to work through the system than before the COVID-19 pandemic struck Wisconsin.

In 2019, a Wisconsin felony case was resolved after 183 days, or about six months, on average. That average increased to 208 days in 2020 and shot up again in 2021 to 241 days, or close to eight months.

For misdemeanor cases, the pattern has been similar. Last year, the average misdemeanor case in Wisconsin was closed after 166 days, which was 10 days faster than the average for 2022. In 2019, it took an average of 118 days to close a misdemeanor case.

Adam Plotkin, a spokesperson for the State Public Defender’s Office, said he’s seeing evidence that backlogs have eased somewhat in 2023 and 2024 compared to prior years when “we were still seeing the effects on the process from the pandemic.”

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