Who Can See My CORI?

You can see your own CORI. (See “How to get a copy of your own CORI”  for instructions.)

Some of the other people and organizations who can look at a CORI include the following:

• Police, judges, prosecutors, and other criminal justice agencies;
• Public housing authorities and larger landlords that receive government subsidies or operate subsidized housing;
• Thousands of employers (if they have special permission from the state), including
  • Nursing homes
  • Hospitals
  • Schools
  • Child care programs
  • Many other employers
• Other agencies and people who can look at a CORI because the law allows them to do it;
• Victims or witnesses of a crime can see the CORI of the perpetrator;
• Anyone in the general public, if the person with a CORI is in prison or was recently released from prison.

What are Private Background-checking companies?

CORI information is kept by the Criminal History Systems Board (CHSB), which is a Massachusetts government agency. Most employers ask the CHSB for a CORI report when they do a criminal background check.

However, there are some private companies that will do a criminal background check and a credit check for a fee. Some employers and housing authorities use the services of these companies to do background checks. Under the law, these companies can only get CORI information that the employer or housing authority can legally get from the CHSB. But background-checking companies often keep their own lists of arrest records and court records, too. These lists may include additional information that is not included in the CHSB’s CORI reports.

If an employer or housing authority uses a private background-checking company to find out about your criminal record, it may get the same information that it could get from the CHSB. It might also get extra information about arrests and the past seven years of your credit history.

If you have a problem because of a private background-checking company, call the Massachusetts Law Reform Institute for help. The phone number is 617-357-0700, extension 343.