CORI and Employment

If I have a CORI, what should I know about applying for jobs?

When you apply for a job, an employer may check your CORI only if you sign an acknowledgement form that says you know the employer is requesting your CORI. This form also asks you for personal information, such as your Social Security Number and mother’s maiden name, to help make certain it is your CORI the employer will receive.

The employer may not ask you to get your CORI for them and show it to them. It is against the law for an employer to ask you to bring a copy of your own CORI. Your own CORI may have more charges on it than the copy that an employer can get on their own. You do not have to give a copy of your own CORI to anyone.

When an employer, or anyone else, checks your CORI, he or she must give you a copy of the CORI right away, before making a decision. Along with the CORI, you should get a copy of the CHSB’s instructions for fixing mistakes on your CORI and for enrolling in the Identity Theft File if you were a victim of identity theft.

Before an employer denies your application, or fires you, they must first do these things:

1. Notify you that they might turn you down for the job,
2. Give you a copy of the CORI they have for you, that they got from the CHSB,
3. Tell you what part of your CORI is a problem, and
4. Give you the chance to have a meeting to discuss your CORI. Massachusetts law gives you the right to “contest the accuracy and relevance of your CORI.” This means:
   • You can explain any mistakes on your CORI;
   • You can explain why your CORI should not matter (for example, if the cases happened a long time ago, or had nothing to do with the job, etc.); and
   • You can also use this meeting to show the employer or housing authority any letters of recommendation that you have, such as this sample "changed person" letter.

Note:

If the employer does not know about the law and your rights, you can show the employer a copy of the regulation 803 CMR 6.11.

Employers are allowed to ask if you have been convicted of a felony or if you have been convicted of a misdemeanor in the last five years. They are allowed to use this information and information from your CORI to turn down your job application.

When you talk to most employers, you do not have to mention charges against you which were dismissed, and no mention of those charges should appear on the CORI they receive (except for certain health care or human services jobs, or certain jobs where employees or volunteers work with children). If you find out that dismissed cases are showing up on your CORI, call the Legal Advocacy and Resource Center (LARC) at (617) 603-1700 or (800) 342-LAWS.

Employers may not ask about certain information even though it might still show up on your CORI. Employers may not ask you about a first conviction for the following misdemeanors:

• drunkenness,
• simple assault,
• speeding,
• minor traffic violations,
• affray, or
• disturbance of the peace.

Employers also may not ask about any misdemeanor conviction where the conviction or release from jail occurred five or more years before you applied for the job. See the General Laws of Massachusetts statute.

These organizations have services for people with criminal records or help people who have criminal records to find jobs:

One-Stop Career Centers across Massachusetts

Strive
150 Forsyth Street
Boston, MA 02115
617-437-1441

EPOCA
4 King Street
Worcester, MA 01610
508-410-7676

SPAN
105 Chauncy Street
Boston, MA 02111
617-423-0750