Massachusetts Department of Public Safety Background Checks

The Massachusetts Office of Public Safety oversees the Department of Criminal Justice Information Services, which is responsible for maintaining all criminal records for the state. A request for background checks in Massachusetts will be honored by this department through its CORI (Criminal Offender Record Information) database, which is the state’s repository for criminal records. A Massachusetts criminal background check can be requested by anyone, although there are restrictions in place to protect an individual’s privacy.

Individuals may request their own Massachusetts background check and receive a complete report. Criminal justice agencies may also obtain full criminal histories of individuals. Otherwise, employers and individuals will only receive conviction records of adults. These are name-based searches, meaning that a criminal record result might not be accurate. In this case, individuals may contact the Massachusetts Office of Public Safety to begin the process of correcting their criminal records. Employers who request a Massachusetts criminal background check are required to share the results with the individual and destroy the criminal records report if the individual is not hired or ceases to work there.

Steps for Retriving a Massachusetts Background Check

Obtain the correct form requesting Massachusetts background checks. Employers, state agencies or other authorized entities may request multiple criminal histories at once. Individuals must fill out the public access form but may request multiple records as well.

Complete the public access form as fully as possible, ensuring that as much identifying information is included, like social security number, full name and birth date.

Mail the completed form with the fee to the Department of Criminal Justice Information Services.

Records searches will be conducted in the order they were received, so wait times can vary but can take up to two weeks.

Results will be mailed. Any dispute can be explored by the individual.

Massachusetts Background Check Special Notes

Massachusetts background checks will not share a person’s entire criminal history with any individual. However, convictions history can be shared if the person was convicted of a crime that brings a penalty of five years or more, or was convicted and sentenced to a prison term. Once this happens, an individual’s conviction history becomes public. Background checks in Massachusetts are prone to being incomplete or inaccurate because they are performed using a name-based search, which is more likely to include another person’s record. This is why there are steps in place to correct these mistakes.

Record request form

To obtain a Massachusetts background check, you can download the following form: Massachusetts Office of Public Safety Just fill it out and remit it to the address listed on the form to receive a criminal conviction report.

Background Check Resources

• Everything You Need To Know About Criminal Background Checks
• Instant Background Checks, Do They Exist?
• The Difference Between Local & National Background Checks