Code of Massachusetts Regulations 803 CMR - DEPARTMENT OF CRIMINAL JUSTICE INFORMATION SERVICES
Here’s a detailed overview of 803 CMR — the Massachusetts Department of Criminal Justice Information Services regulations:
🧾 803 CMR – Overview
Issued by DCJIS under M.G.L. c. 6 §§ 167A, 172 (as well as 28 CFR Part 20), current through April 25, 2025 (mass.gov, mass.gov). This title governs:
📌 Chapters:
803 CMR 1.00 – Sex Offender Registry Board (SORB)
Covers registration, classification, and dissemination rules for sex offenders.
803 CMR 2.00 – Criminal Offender Record Information (CORI)
Establishes the iCORI system for accessing CORI—for employment, licensing, volunteering—and complaint procedures (mass.gov).
803 CMR 5.00 – CORI – Housing
Permits landlords and housing authorities to access CORI for tenant screening (mass.gov).
803 CMR 7.00 – Criminal Justice Information System (CJIS)
Governs access, use, storage, and dissemination of criminal justice data, defines agency/personnel responsibilities, and sets penalties for unauthorized access (mass.gov, casetext.com).
803 CMR 8.00 – CORI for Research
Outlines CORI access protocols for academic/research purposes (mass.gov).
803 CMR 9.00 – Victim Notification Registry (VNR)
Establishes rules for the Victim Notification system—though content specifics aren't included in the search results.
803 CMR 10.00 – Gun Transaction Recording
Controls DCJIS rules for recording firearm transactions.
803 CMR 11.00 – Consumer Reporting Agencies (CRA)
Governs consumer reporting agencies accessing CORI on behalf of employers or clients (casetext.com, mass.gov).
🔍 Key Provisions
803 CMR 2.00 (CORI Access Levels)
Defines three access levels based on requester type:
Required Access (four tiers): from adult convictions only to sealed records and juvenile filings (law.cornell.edu).
Standard Access: for employers, landlords, licensing agencies — access to pending charges, misdemeanors (5 yrs), felonies (10 yrs), serious crimes indefinitely (law.cornell.edu).
Open Access: public lookup — misdemeanors (1 yr), less serious felonies (2 yrs), serious felonies (10 yrs) .
803 CMR 7.00 (CJIS)
Ensures all state/federal criminal justice agencies follow consistent policies for handling data accessed via CJIS (mass.gov).
Includes penalties for unauthorized access or data misuse—both civil and criminal, including fines, suspension, revocation of access (law.cornell.edu).
📘 Where to Find the Text
Mass.gov Trial Court Law Libraries offer free PDFs for each chapter.
Official (printed) versions are sold via the Massachusetts State Bookstore (mass.gov, reddit.com).
✅ In Summary
803 CMR outlines administrative and technical standards for accessing and managing criminal justice data—including sex offender info, CORI, firearm records, victim notification, and CJIS.
It ensures proper access levels, clear permissions/obligations, and accountability through penalties for misuse.
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