Wisconsin Statutes & Annotations
Chapter 967 - Criminal procedure — general provisions.
967.06 - Determination of indigency; appointment of counsel; preparation of record.

967.06 Determination of indigency; appointment of counsel; preparation of record.
(1) As soon as practicable after a person has been detained or arrested in connection with any offense that is punishable by incarceration, or in connection with any civil commitment proceeding, or in any other situation in which a person is entitled to counsel regardless of ability to pay under the constitution or laws of the United States or this state, the person shall be informed of his or her right to counsel.
(2)
(a) Except as provided in par. (b), a person entitled to counsel under sub. (1) who indicates at any time that he or she wants to be represented by a lawyer, and who claims that he or she is not able to pay in full for a lawyer's services, shall immediately be permitted to contact the authority for indigency determinations specified under s. 977.07 (1). The authority for indigency determination in each county shall have daily telephone access to the county jail in order to identify all persons who are being held in the jail. The jail personnel shall provide by phone information requested by the authority.
(b) If the person indicating that he or she wants to be represented by a lawyer is detained under ch. 48, 51, 55, 938, or 980, the person shall be referred for appointment of counsel as provided under s. 48.23 (4), 51.60, 55.105, 938.23 (4), or 980.03 (2) (a), whichever is applicable.
(3) In any case in which the state public defender provides representation to an indigent person, the public defender may request that the applicable court reporter or clerk of circuit court prepare and transmit any transcript or court record. The request shall be complied with. The state public defender shall, from the appropriation under s. 20.550 (1) (a), compensate the court reporter or clerk of circuit court for the cost of preparing, duplicating, and mailing the documents.
History: Sup. Ct. Order, 71 Wis. 2d ix (1975); 1977 c. 29, 418; 1979 c. 356; 1981 c. 20; 1983 a. 377; 1993 a. 16; 2007 a. 20; 2017 a. 59, 184.
The defendant was entitled to court-appointed counsel in a state-initiated civil contempt action. Brotzman v. Brotzman, 91 Wis. 2d 335, 283 N.W.2d 600 (Ct. App. 1979).
This section gives the public defender the right to receive juvenile records of indigent clients notwithstanding s. 48.396 (2). State ex rel. S.M.O., 110 Wis. 2d 447, 329 N.W.2d 275 (Ct. App. 1982).
If the court is put on notice that the accused has a language difficulty, the court must make a factual determination whether an interpreter is necessary; if so, the accused must be made aware of the right to an interpreter, at public cost if the accused is indigent. Waiver of the right must be made voluntarily in open court on the record. State v. Neave, 117 Wis. 2d 359, 344 N.W.2d 181 (1984).
Police had no duty to inform a suspect during custodial interrogation that a lawyer retained by the suspect's family was present. State v. Hanson, 136 Wis. 2d 195, 401 N.W.2d 771 (1987).
The county must provide free transcripts to the state public defender. State v. Dresel, 136 Wis. 2d 461, 401 N.W.2d 855 (Ct. App. 1987).
A public defender appointed as postconviction counsel is entitled to all court records including the presentence investigation report; access may not be restricted under s. 972.15 (4). Oliver v. Goulee, 179 Wis. 2d 376, 507 N.W.2d 145 (Ct. App. 1993).
The state public defender may be denied access to jail inmates who have not requested counsel, and jail authorities need only provide over the telephone that information necessary for the public defender to assess the need to make an indigency determination in person under s. 977.07 (1) for an inmate who has requested counsel and claims indigency. Section SPD 2.03 (3) and (5) (July 1990), Wis. Adm. Code, exceeds the bounds of this section. 78 Atty. Gen. 133.

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