Award Information
Description of original award (Fiscal Year 2020, $379,350)
The goal of the National Criminal History Improvement Program (NCHIP) is to improve the Nation's safety and security by enhancing the quality, completeness, and accessibility of criminal history record information and by insuring the nationwide implementation of criminal justice and noncriminal justice background check systems. BJS provides direct financial and technical assistance to the states to improve criminal history and other related records and to build their infrastructure to connect to national record check systems both to supply information and to conduct the requisite checks.
Under the FY 2020 NCHIP project, the Maryland Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services will use funds to conduct an audit synchronization file and expungement project. The III audit synchronization project is an automated solution to identify discrepancies and synchronize records indexed in the III system with the records indexed within the state repository. Currently, the state compares its data with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) data. The state makes a copy of its criminal history file extract of records indexed in III and the FBI in turn generates a copy of the states records on a media of the states choice. The discrepancies between the two sets of information is manually researched and corrected, as necessary, in the state criminal history file or the III, either by the state or by the FBI personnel on behalf of the state. The current process is old with limitations, so an individual must review each of the records and correct the errors.
The expungement project will continue to support CJIS expungement staff to process backlogged records and to update RAP Sheet records that have been stagnant in Marylands suspense file so that CJIS can provide all eligible records to the NICS system in a timely manner. Data will be collected on weekly basis and provided in IT reports via Expungement Tracking System. This project will enable CJIS to effectively address the more than 60,000 court ordered expungements received annually, and will enable CJIS to better serve the public. Additionally, this effort will enable the completion of the court ordered expungements to occur in accordance with the 60-day legal mandate. (CA/NCF)