Do you know how CORI reports work?

CORI stands for Criminal Offender Record Information, which is managed in Massachusetts by the CORI Support Services Unit.  According to their website, the CORI unit process an average of 100,000 requests per month to access the criminal records of individuals in Massachusetts. This does not include law enforcement agencies which may have access to a more complete report.

Also according to the CORI Unit website:

"The source of criminal history information contained in the iCORI database is the Office of the Commissioner of Probation (OCP), a subdivision of the Administrative Office of the Trial Court (AOTC).  Accordingly, OCP is the only state agency that can change information that appears in the iCORI database.  Further, only OCP can seal criminal convictions."

In 2010, Massachusetts reformed the CORI law which significantly updated how CORI's could be accessed, used, sealed, and shared.  This chart produced by the Boston Workers Alliance clarifies the changes in the 2010 reform and is a great overview of how CORIs work.

If you want to know what is on your report prior to someone else accessing it you can request a copy of your CORI here.