Open and Shut Podcast: Recent Episodes
Wisconsin Watch and Wisconsin Public Radio
Prosecutors are the most powerful people in the American criminal justice system. "Open and Shut" is a narrative, seven-part investigative series following two district attorneys in Wisconsin's Fox Valley and their impact on victims, the accused and the justice system.
As Outagamie County district attorney, Biskupic let potential defendants buy their way out of trouble. As a judge, he offered deals that fell in a 'gray area' of the law.
One of Outagamie County District Attorney Vince Biskupic’s cases involved a rewritten police report; another, an exoneration.
A possible Miranda violation, a missing taped "confession," and an improperly charged girlfriend among the flaws in Vince Biskupic’s case.
In 2019, Wisconsin Watch received a tip about a case. It alleged that the prosecutor, Outagamie County District Attorney Vince Biskupic, had withheld information about a key witness — a young woman who got some help, monetary and otherwise, from the police. That assistance was never disclosed to the defense. It’s part of a pattern seen in some other high-profile cases prosecuted by Biskupic, according to an investigation by Wisconsin Watch and WPR.
The Wisconsin case was tainted by secret tapes, unreliable witnesses and a supposed "hit" plot against Winnebago County District Attorney Joe Paulus.
Joe Paulus's time as Winnebago County district attorney involved taking bribes, allegedly asking an officer to lie on the stand and bragging about having sex in his office.
The Outagamie County case featured District Attorney Vince Biskupic who called one of his key witnesses 'credible' — then charged him with perjury 10 days later.
"Open and Shut" explores the dangers of allowing the power of the prosecutor to go unchecked. The seven-part investigative series follows two district attorneys in Wisconsin’s Fox Valley and their impact on victims, the accused and the justice system.