Crime history information including details on arrest records and outstanding warrants can be found through the Crime Justice Information Service of the Executive Office of Public Safety and Security. The division collects crime related data from all justice agencies within the state and acts as a link between local, federal and out of state law enforcement agencies, offering criminal records 24/7 through secure national access.
Details held by the agency include files on most wanted and missing people, protective orders, crime history records, motor vehicle and driving records, information on the transaction of ammunition and firearms licenses and other critical data pertaining to criminal justice including arrests and the issue of active warrants from MA.
How can information on crime history be sought by the general populace?
The Criminal Offender Record Information Services Unit or CORI, as it is popularly known, offers crime history data to non-justice, non-government agencies such as day care centers, schools, home health volunteers and service providers, municipal agencies, athletic coaches who work with young clients and individuals who are desirous of accessing personal background reports.
Excluding requests for information on crime history that are made by law enforcement agencies, CORI handles an average of 100,000 applications from other entities including individuals each month. Apart from the dissemination of criminal history, CORI also works towards correcting and amending inaccurate crime records and investigating instances of unauthorized or inappropriate access to criminal data. Additionally, the unit provides assistance on crime history access laws to the police, the judiciary and the public.
What information is included in a CORI report?
A background report from the agency will include the docket number of every case initiated against the subject; the next line will give an indication of the status of the case. If the matter is still under trial, the case status will be open and if it has been disposed off by the courts, regardless of the verdict, the status will show as closed.
The offense type will also be included along with a description of the incident. Information will also be given on the court and the law enforcement agency that handled the matter, the verdict and incarceration details if applicable. This will be done for every criminal infraction found in the name of the subject including charges that were dropped or arrests after which the accused was let off without any further legal proceedings being launched against him.
Accessing crime history data in MA
Requests for CORI reports can be submitted online or through mail and you can file a petition for a single subject or choose batch file upload. Needless to say, the latter is more suitable for commercial establishments that routinely conduct such inquiries.
Single subject warrant searches: To find information on a single subject, you will have to visit the official website of the division at http://icori.chs.state.ma.us/. You will find the add request link on top of the page which can be used to access the iCORI request page. Go to the dropdown menu to choose the appropriate account type.
Once you complete this step, you will be redirected to single iCORI request page. You will need to offer the purpose of your inquiry from the multi choice list and then provide information on your subject. If you are looking for details on more than one person, click on the “add and request another” button.
Batch requests: Through this option, you will be able to submit details on multiple subjects without having to repeat the process given above. The names of the subject can be submitted in an Excel spreadsheet which can be a convenient option for commercial establishments. To find out more about how the batch service works, take a look at https://www.mass.gov/files/documents/2016/09/od/icori-batch-request-specification.pdf.