Patrick urges passage of CORI reform bill

By Paul McMorrow, State House News Service March 19, 2008

Source

Declaring yesterday that the existing Criminal Offender Record Information system "undermines public safety in the Commonwealth," Governor Deval Patrick urged the Legislature's Judiciary Committee to pass his CORI reform bill.

"I believe public safety must be about both law enforcement and crime prevention," Patrick told a crowd that spilled out of two hearing rooms.

Pointing out that 20,000 inmates reenter the Massachusetts mainstream every year, Patrick said, "Successful crime fighting also means reducing the risk that former inmates will return to crime by helping them rebuild their lives."

Patrick hinted at interest in overhauling the state's criminal history records system even before taking office and filed his CORI bill in January. The bill would constrict the timeline for sealing former offenders' felony records to 10 years after release, down from the current 15; misdemeanors would be sealed after five years, instead of the current 10. The legislation would also make CORI reports easier to read and process and order the state's Criminal History Systems Board to consider "the importance and value of successful reintegration" as part of the CORI certification process.

The governor stressed that sex offenders' records would not be sealed and that criminal justice agencies would retain "full access to sealed records."
He said the effort is part of a larger agenda that includes his pending Mandatory Post Release Supervision bill and a January executive order that severely curtails the use of CORI data when filling executive department jobs.

The question of when or if members of the public should have access to individuals' criminal histories has roiled the State House in recent years. CORI reform advocates argue that public access to criminal records impedes access of former prisoners to good jobs and housing and hinders their successful reintegration into society. Landlords and employers counter that background checks are necessary.

Associated Industries of Massachusetts issued a statement supporting Patrick's efforts to improve CORI accuracy and usability, but opposing "any changes to the current system for the sealing of records" for misdemeanors and felonies.

Representative Eugene O'Flaherty, Democrat of Chelsea, said that he and his cochairman - Senator Robert Creedon, Democrat of Brockton - would like to tackle CORI reform this year.