Public Records Act - PowerPoint Presentation

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Public Records Act

RSO Records: Confidential, maybe, but are they exempt from disclosure?Slide2

RCW 42.56.010 et al

Passed in 1972

All records of a public agency are presumed to be subject to disclosurePublic records must be disclosed unless an exemption appliesExemptions to disclosure are to be construed narrowlyThe agency has the burden to prove that the record is exemptAgencies may withhold only those portions of the document that fall within the exemptionAgencies are liable for not giving the fullest assistance to requestors and/or unreasonably exempting records.

Public Records Act OverviewSlide3

ANY writing containing information relating to the conduct of government or the performance of any governmental function,

Prepared, owned, used or retained by any state or local agency,

Regardless of physical form or characteristics…“Writing” means handwriting, printing, photographing…letters, words, pictures, sound and video recordings…RCW 42.56.010(2),(3)What is a public record?Slide4

Investigating agency reports, PC statements (local, state, federal agencies)Triple I – criminal history

Court documents: charging and sentencing

Registration documentsRisk level assessmentsSex offender contact sheets Correspondence / emailsPsycho-sexual evaluationsPublic Records in a RSO fileSlide5

Indeterminate Sentence Review Board hearings and findings.Sex Offender treatment plans

Polygraph report

Victim statementsDOC custody facility planBulletin: Notification of Sex Offender ReleaseMore records in RSO file..Slide6

The request may be in writing, on a form, or made orally.Requestor does not have to cite to the PRA and label it as a “public disclosure request.”

May be made to any employee of the public agency – that includes you.

May be buried in correspondence.Agency must respond within 5 days of request.What is a “Request” for public records?Slide7

Generally, agencies may not distinguish between requesters under the PDA.

A requestor may remain anonymous.

If requestor is the victim or offender, he or she may be able to obtain records that would be exempt otherwise.Cannot exempt a document from disclosure on the basis of privacy when it is the requestor’s privacy at issue.Does the identity of the Requestor matter?Slide8

Caution! Do not convert requests, examples below, not under the PRA to a PRA request.Attorney requests – for discovery

Therapist requests – for treatment

Other law enforcement agency or CPS – for law enforcement purposesVictim – for civil redress (RCW 10.97)Collective bargaining (Mason County, 2012)Not all requests for records are pursuant to the PRASlide9

RCW 42.56.240 – law enforcement investigative records exemption:(1) specific intelligence information…investigative records…the nondisclosure of which is essential to effective law enforcement or for protection of any person’s right to privacy.

(2) information revealing the identity of witnesses or victims of crime…who file complaints…if disclosure would endanger any person’s life…

(3) records…sex offenses which have been transferred to WASPC for retention..Exemptions under the PRASlide10

(5) Information revealing the identity of child victims of sexual assault who are under age eighteen…(8) Information submitted to the statewide unified sex offender notification and registration program…by a person for the purpose of receiving notification regarding a registered sex offender.

PRA Exemptions cont.Slide11

Agency may exempt a record by citing to a statute outside the PRA

Attorney / Client communications and work product

Medical records RCW 70.02.050Must be health care record, not a forensic evaluation like a psycho-sexual evaluation.Patient and his immediate family (or close friend) may obtain recordsPatient’s healthcare provider may obtain recordsMay disclose to law enforcement, penal or custodial institutions where the person is confined.

Other ExemptionsSlide12

Records of a person confined in Jail (RCW 70.48.100)Records of a person confined in prison

Triple I (RCW 10.97)

Other Exemptions cont.Slide13

Adult sex offenders SSOSA evaluations are subject to disclosure

Victim’s name and identifying information in a SSOSA are exempt and may be redacted

Victim’s impact statements for sentencing are exempt as essential to effective law enforcement and can be withheld entirely Non-victim third parties identity might be exempt depending on circumstances Koenig v. Thurston County, 155 Wn. App. 398 (2010)SSOSA evaluations are subject to disclosureSlide14

Is RCW 4.24. 550 “another statute” that governs requests for documents instead of the PDA?

Courts have not answered that question for adults

Probably not for adult sex offenders.It may be for juvenile sex offenders.RCW 4.24.550(9) provides “nothing in this section implies” that information about registered sex offenders “is confidential except as may be otherwise provided by law.” Courts have noted that some documents in a sex offender file are publicly available from other sources. Information disclosed is not subject to any specific confidentiality protection.In Re Restraint of Meyer,

142, Wn.2d 608 (2001)

Community Notification Act and the PRA (RCW 4.24.550)Slide15

Rationale for proactive release of information:Conviction records may be disseminated without restriction.

The public has a legitimate interest in information about potentially dangerous individuals.

Sex offenders have a “reduced expectation of privacy” because of the public’s interest in public safety and the effective operation of government. PRO-ACTIVE RELEASE IS BASED ON ASSESSMENT of RISK TO PUBLIC SAFETY In re restraint of Meyer, 142 Wn.2d 608 (2001)RCW 4.24.550 allows Proactive release of information Slide16

Probably not (for adults) but courts have not addressed that specific question

Current Residential address may be exception for safety of sex offender as essential to effective law enforcement

Individual documents withheld or redacted from a registered sex offender packet need specific exemptions for each document under the PDA in adult casesDO LIMITS ON PRO-ACTIVE RELEASE UNDER RCW 4.24.550 ALSO LIMIT RELEASE UNDER THE PDA? Slide17

OVERALL TEST IS WHETHER DISCLOSURE IS RELEVANT AND NECESSARY TO PROTECT THE PUBLIC. Information must be accurate.RELEASE RATIONALLY RELATED TO:

LEVEL OF RISK

LOCATIONS WHERE OFFENDER RESIDES, EXPECTS TO RESIDE, OR IS REGULARLY FOUND; AND NEEDS OF AFFECTED COMMUNITY MEMBERS FOR INFORMATION TO ENHANCE THEIR SAFETYRCW 4.24.550 PROACTIVE RELEASESlide18

LEVEL 1: AGENCY SHALL SHARE INFORMATION WITH

OTHER APPROPRIATE LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCIES

SCHOOL OFFENDER IS ATTENDING OR PLANNING TO ATTENDUPON REQUEST, RELEVANT, NECESSARY, AND ACCURATE INFORMATION TO ANY VICTIMWITNESS TO THE OFFENSEANY INDIVIDUAL COMMUNITY MEMBER WHO LIVES NEAR THE RESIDENCE WHERE THE OFFENDERRESIDES

EXPECTS TO RESIDE, OR

IS REGULARLY FOUND

LEVEL 1:

RELEASE CONSIDERATIONS Slide19

IN ADDITION TO DISCLOSURES FOR LEVEL 1 AGENCIES MAY ALSO RELEASE INFORMATION TO:PUBLIC AND PRIVATE SCHOOLS

DAY CARES

LIBRARIESBUSINESS AND ORGANIZATIONS THAT SERVE WOMEN, CHILDREN, AND VULNERABLE ADULTSNEIGHBORSCOMMUNITY GROUPS NEAR WHERE OFFENDER RESIDES EXPECTS TO RESIDE OR IS REGULARLY FOUNDLEVEL 2:RELEASE CONSIDERATIONSSlide20

INFORMATON MAY BE RELEASED TO:PUBLIC AT LARGE

Agencies must publish a legal notice in a newspaper

Have a website with a list of level 3s updated at least once a month or use Offender WatchPublic dissemination on WASPC website also applies to level 2s, level 1s out of compliance, and kidnappersLEVEL 3: RELEASE CONSIDERATIONSSlide21

Since 4.24.550 is based on risk to the public, the community notification act may allow for a greater release of information to the public regarding sex offenders than may apply under the PDA.

Agencies have some discretion based on risk assessment

Release of information needs to be based on risk and public safety not punishmentNo liability for failure to release (unless make promises about release)RCW 4.24.550 may allow for MORE release of information than PDASlide22

Juvenile Records Act (JRA) may be “another statute” that removes juvenile records release decisions

entirely

from the PDA“All records other than the official juvenile court file are confidential and may be released only as provided in …….. RCW 4.24.550. RCW 13.50.050.“Except as provided in RCW 4.24.550, information not in a juvenile court file concerning a juvenile or a juvenile’s family may be released to the public only when that information could not be reasonably expected to identify the juvenile or the juvenile’s family.” RCW 13.50.050(5)Juvenile Sex OffendersSlide23

Juvenile sex offender challenged release of SSOSA evaluation to Sheriff’s Office.Division I held SSOSA evaluation had to be given to Sheriff’s office for risk assessment.

Chapter 13.50.050 is “another statute” that provides for protection from release under the PDA and would be protected from release under the PDA.

NOTE – Case is NOT a public disclosure case and is on appeal. State v. Sanchez, (Division I, No. 67461-7-1, publ. July 9, 2012)Slide24

IF juvenile “records” are entirely exempt from the PDA, then decisions about release of juvenile sex offender registration records would be made:

Under

RCW 4.24.550, ANDChapter 13.50, Chapter 10.97’s specific provisions regarding victim civil redressNot the PDAJuvenile Sex Offender Registration RecordsSlide25

The interaction of the various statutes is complex and there is little case law on their application and intersection

Statutes to consider include for withholding or redacting include:

The Public Records Act, 42.56The Juvenile Records Act, 13.50Civil Redress statutes for victims (10.97 and 13.50)Community Notification Act (4.24.550)End of Sentence Review Board Statutes (72.09)Miscellaneous (medical records, mental health, etc.)

Rights of victims and

child victims (7.69 and 7.69A)

Get Legal Advice from your prosecutors or legal advisorsSlide26

Questions??