That 's the forceful message state leaders sent in March by prohibiting prosecutors and judges from requiring criminal suspects to pay fines to crime-prevention organizations.

A 2003 State Journal investigation by reporters Dee J. Hall and Andy Hall revealed that a prosecutor with aspirations to become attorney general had secretly allowed some potential defendants to avoid prosecution by donating money to the prosecutor 's favorite groups.

Former Outagamie County District Attorney Vince Biskupic struck at least 13 such deals, essentially giving suspects "get out of jail free " cards in exchange for donations to groups Biskupic picked.

That practice mocked Wisconsin 's justice system. It sent a terrible message that anyone could paper over a crime with dollar bills.

Prompted by the newspaper investigation, state lawmakers wisely passed Senate Bill 244 two months ago and closed this unethical loophole in the law.

It was already illegal for prosecutors to amend or dismiss charges in exchange for contributions to criminal justice organizations. But prosecutors could still strike secret deals before choosing to pursue charges. And judges could still, on their own, funnel money to favored groups.

The new law emphatically puts an end to this corrupt practice. Prosecutors cannot enter into donation deals at any point in a case. And judges cannot impose donations as part of a sentence.

Wisconsin 's judicial process is now more transparent and fair.

The one down side is that many upstanding crime-fighting organizations will no longer benefit from court-imposed fines. They include well-known and successful efforts such as Crime Stoppers. They also include worthy community nonprofits such as the Association for the Prevention of Family Violence in Walworth County, which received almost $22,000 in 2007, and the Crawford County Children 's Advisory Board in Prairie du Chien, which received more than $9,000 last year.

These groups and programs that protect and serve the weak and vulnerable deserve funding. But not from a mechanism that creates grave potential for abuse and that damages the very principle these organizations are fighting for -- justice, without fear or favor, for all.

Gov. Jim Doyle and the Legislature have rightly upheld this principle and passed a tough and good law that should help restore faith in the state 's judicial system.