Opinion No. (2006)

BILL LOCKYER Attorney General DANIEL G. STONE Deputy Attorney General THE HONORABLE STEVE COOLEY, DISTRICT ATTORNEY, COUNTY OF LOS ANGELES, has requested an opinion on the following question: In response to a public records request, may a prosecutor produce records from a computerized data base that disclose: (1) whether a recently charged or soon-to-be charged defendant is currently on probation or parole, and details of his or her prior offenses; (2) an individual's criminal history in the county, including all arrests and case dispositions; (3) the disposition of matters referred to the district attorney for filing of criminal charges; (4) criminal histories associated with a requested list of cases in which a specified witness has testified; and (5) numerous criminal histories associated with a request for the names and identities of all defendants charged with a specific kind of crime over a period of years? CONCLUSION In response to a public records request, a prosecutor may not produce records from a computerized data base that disclose: (1) whether a recently charged or soon-to-be charged defendant is currently on probation or parole, and details of his or her prior…