Massachusetts Arrest Records

Criminal History Systems Board, the central government agency for criminal information service of Massachusetts was renamed as Department of Criminal Justice Information Services (DCJIS) in 2010. However, its two main tasks remained unchanged. They are: 1) To support the criminal justice information system and, 2) To administer and provide criminal offender record information (CORI) to approved agencies, individuals and the public community in accordance to their classification.

Massachusetts Arrest Records form part of CORI files. They are data submitted from the various counties and criminal justice agencies across the state. These documents are updated on a daily basis and while they are technically accessible by the public, much of these documents are classified.

The DCJIS is the chief Public Safety Agency to the Executive Office of Public Safety and Security (EOPSS) for criminal data. It serves as the state secure database for all criminal records of Massachusetts. Signed release is not required in requesting these records and fees depend on the type of search; $42 per individual for state-wide lookup and $20 for county searches. The usual turnaround time for this process is 8-10 business days.

Massachusetts Criminal Records

Anyone requesting his or her own criminal arrest records needs to do so by post. A completed and publicly notarized official form along with a check or money order in the amount of $25 made payable to the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and a self-addressed, stamped envelope must be mailed to:

Massachusetts Criminal History Search contact info.
Address:
Department of Criminal Justice Information Services
200, Arlington Street, Suite 2200,
Chelsea, MA 02150,
CORI Unit
Telephone: (617) 660-4600.

DCJIS provides only criminal information pertaining to Massachusetts. To search records of other states, requestors have to liaise directly with the respective authorities there. There are also all kinds of conditions and requirements involved to request criminal history information from DCJIS. For practical purposes, private data providers make more sense. Nationwide coverage, instant results, professional service and competitive pricing; try it.