Mistakes on CORI

What kinds of mistakes can show up on my CORI?

Many mistakes show up on CORI reports.

Mistakes may include misspelled or wrong names, wrong birthdays, wrong place where you were born, a wrong Social Security number, or there may be aliases that are not yours.

Information about what happened in your cases may be wrong:

• a case that is closed may be listed as still open;
• a case where you were found not guilty may be listed as dismissed; or,
• there may be cases on the CORI that are not yours.

How do I fix mistakes on my CORI?

At the court where your case was heard, you can ask a probation officer to fix some mistakes. If a case on your CORI is listed as open, but it is really closed, you can ask a probation officer to fix the mistake.

Probation officers can fix misspellings and clerical errors.

They may be able to fix other small mistakes also.

You also might call the Office of the Commissioner of Probation at 617-727-5300 to fix mistakes on your CORI.

Errors with warrants

Sometimes a case is listed as open because the court thinks you did not pay a fine or court costs or you did not show up for a hearing.

If a case is listed as open, check your CORI to see if there is a “W” in the status column on the right of the page. W stands for warrant.

If you think there may be a warrant, you should seek help from an attorney immediately. If there is a warrant, you can be arrested by the police and might be held in jail if you appear in court.

If you cannot afford an attorney to help you with the warrant and your criminal case, download the Committee for Public Counsel’s memo to service providers. It has a list of court appointed attorney programs near the court where your case is going on.

Removing someone else's cases from your CORI

Sometimes, another person's criminal case shows up on your CORI. This can happen when people have similar names or the same birthdays, or if a person gave a fake name when arrested. The police or court staff also may have typed the wrong information into the computer or made other errors.

If this happened to you, get a copy of your own CORI. After you get your CORI, look at it carefully and mark which cases are not yours. There are several things you can do to fix your record:

1. Call the probation office at the court where the cases were heard and ask for help fixing your record (You can find a list of courts and their phone numbers on the Massachusetts Courts website); or
2. Call the Office of the Commissioner of Probation at 617-727-5300 and explain that you want to talk to someone about correcting mistakes on your CORI; or.
3. Call the DCJIS CORI Unit:(617) 660-4640 and ask for help.

Important

It will be easier to show that the case does not belong to you if you can find out who the real defendant is. Look at the court file. It may have a police report with a mug shot or a description of the defendant. Contact the police who made the arrest. They may be able to give you more information. The police may take your fingerprints and compare them to those in the police file for the case. If the police have a photo of the person they arrested, you can use the photo to show probation that you are not the same person. If the police have fingerprints for the person they arrested, you can have your own fingerprints taken to prove they made a mistake in listing you as the defendant.

If the probation office does not fix the mistake, it is likely you will need to file a motion in the court where the case comes from to correct the mistake. A list of courts and their phone numbers is available online at the Massachusetts Courts website.

Contact the Legal Advocacy and Resource Center (LARC) for help and referrals for a lawyer (617) 603-1700.

If you are a victim of identity theft

If a person used your name when they got arrested or went to court, the case may appear on your CORI. There are special forms to report and fix mistakes on the CORI of victims of identity theft. You can download the forms on the Department of Criminal Justice Information Services (DCJIS) website.

Six steps you can take to get the case or cases taken off your CORI:

1. Report the identity theft to your local police department or the Massachusetts State Police as soon as possible. Be sure to get a copy of the police report.
2. Get the Massachusetts Identity Theft Application forms from the DCJIS web site, or call the DCJIS (617) 660-4600 or (617) 660-4640 and ask them to mail the forms to you.
3. Fill out the forms. Make sure your handwriting can be read or type the forms. Important The Identify Theft Affidavit has to be signed in front of a Notary Public.
4. Send the following papers to DCJIS:
   ☐ Completed Identity Theft Affidavit,
   ☐ Completed Identity Theft Consent Form,
   ☐ Copy of your photo Identification. (driver’s license, passport, other I.D.),
   ☐ Copy of the police report, and
   ☐ Copies of any court documents or other papers that show that your identity was stolen.
5. Answer Questions from DCJIS. DCJIS will investigate what happened. It is likely that DCJIS will ask you questions. They may have you come in for an interview. You may get fingerprinted.
6. Get a Response from DCJIS. If DCJIS agrees you were a victim of identity fraud, it will send you an Identity Index Number and an Identity Theft Victim Certification Letter. You must use the Identity Index Number whenever you send for your own CORI or fill out a form that lets others to check your CORI for jobs, housing, or other reasons. If you use the Identity Index Number, DCJIS will send you your own CORI without the cases of the person who stole your identity. If you do not have CORI, DCJIS should send a notice which says you have no criminal record.

Still need help?

If you follow these steps, but still have problems, you can call the Legal Advocacy and Resource Center (617) 603-1700 for help and referrals.