House Passes Criminal Offender Record Information Reform 

State Representative Geraldo Alicea joined his colleagues in the Massachusetts House of Representatives in passing legislation reforming the Criminal Offender Record Information (CORI) system and reducing the time period in which records can be accessed to 10 years for felony convictions and five years for misdemeanors.

“This bill promises to be smart on crime by reducing recidivism and broadening the horizon for those struggling to progress beyond their past,” House Speaker Robert A. DeLeo said. “By providing new opportunities to those who have paid their debt to society, this bill will help many find opportunities to positively contribute to our society.”

“This legislation opens new doors for those who have served their punishment while keeping public safety in mind,” Representative Eugene O’Flaherty, House Chair of the Joint Committee on the Judiciary, said.

“This bill allows us to be both tough on crime and smart on crime at the same time” said Representative Alicea. “I am confident that this bill will help us to improve public safety by reducing recidivism rates and creating a CORI database that is more accessible and thorough. The House bill also contains important provisions to further protect witnesses of a crime and to increase the assistance available to victims and their families.”

Current law allows CORI reports to be sealed after 15 years for felony convictions and after 10 years for misdemeanors. The bill allows law enforcement agencies full and immediate access to CORI records, including any and all sealed records. Under this legislation, those convicted of murder would not be eligible to have their records sealed. 

Unlike the CORI reform legislation that passed the State Senate this session, the House bill dictates that sex offenses are never eligible to be sealed. The bill also does not include language from the Senate CORI reform bill that would qualify drug offenders for parole after serving two-thirds of a mandatory minimum sentence.

The bill, however, makes it a crime to knowingly disseminate, falsify or request a CORI when unauthorized to do so with an exception for law enforcement officers who seek criminal offender record information in the performance of their official duties.

The legislation creates the Department of Criminal Justice Information Services to replace the Criminal History Systems Board which currently controls access to CORI. Transferring Control to the Department of Criminal Justice Information Services will expand access to CORI for employers while increasing the accuracy of CORI reports. 

The Department will be required to maintain CORI in an electronic database, accessible on the internet and configured to allow for the exchange of CORI with other states and federal agencies. The database will specifically list which agencies, departments, commissions, individuals and members of the public can access CORI and the reasoning for their access.

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