Authors: Claire Kaplan with Elyse Clawson, Leonard Engel, Cheryl Roberts, Jennifer Vorse, Richard Ward
2005
This white paper summarizes the history of the CORI system and the key moments leading to the current situation. It also examines the problems experienced by various people and identifies and explores a handful of ideas for reforming the system. The process that led to the creation of the white paper involved meetings and interviews with dozens of stakeholders, including ex-offenders and advocates, agency and system officials, elected officials and employers. The white paper was delivered at a forum on May 18, 2005 sponsored by The Boston Foundation that brought together many of the stakeholders involved and more than 200 others with some interest in the CORI system.
The Criminal Offender Record Information (CORI) system was originally designed, in the early 1970s, to systematize access to offender record information for law enforcement use and to protect the privacy of ex-offenders. Thirty years later the system has expanded exponentially as the legislature has added more and more groups of people who can access CORI as well as those people and organizations required to access CORI prior to making a hiring or housing decision.
In the past 15 years the number of users has risen from 2,000 to 10,000 people and organizations and the number of CORI reports processed annually has risen from 400,000 in 1998 to 1.5 million today.
