Award Information
Description of original award (Fiscal Year 2020, $2,971,477)
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 this award, the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency (ALEA) will continue to improve the quality, completeness, and accessibility of criminal history data at the state and national levels. ALEA plans to partner with state and local courts, state corrections, pardons and paroles, the University of Alabama (UA) and other vendors to continue its efforts to improve the states criminal offender records. Alabama has gone through a number of organizational and administrative changes in the past four years that have posed challenges and opportunities related to the ongoing operations for criminal justice information within the state. This project proposal aims to help address some of the challenges, plus develop and implement new processes to take advantage of new opportunities. Funds are being requested to procure a new Criminal History Record System (CCH), as the current one is severely outdated and lacks the ability to allow automated electronic disposition matching from the courts or prosecutors. However, the scope is more than simply replacing the CCH system. It will be an entire redesign of the process and integration of multiple information systems to send and receive information, which will result in a significant increase in the accuracy, efficiency, functionality and reliability of Alabamas criminal history records, including domestic violence dispositions. In addition, ALEA is seeking funds to integrate data from court systems, prosecutors, corrections, pardons and paroles and any other data contributing entity. ALEA is requesting funding to purchase additional Livescan/ABIS workstations to improve quality and completeness of arrest records submitted.