Subchapter II of Title 1 of the District of Columbia Code pertains to freedom of information. Generally, the public policy is that all persons are entitled to complete information regarding the affairs of government and the official acts of those who represent them as public officials and employees. The provisions of the act are designed to expand public access to records and minimize the costs and time delays to persons requesting information; however, the law also specifies records that may be exempt from disclosure; those records exempted are deemed to be an unwarranted invasion of personal privacy should they be disseminated. Administrative appeals are allowed and specified when a person is denied the right to inspect a public record. Also included in this compendium are criminal rules of the District of Columbia Superior Court pertinent to the expungement of official records. Title 4 of the District of Columbia Code requires that specified records be maintained by the police and fire departments. An ordinance, known as the Duncan ordinance, states that no record of a juvenile who has been under the jurisdiction of the police department shall be released to any person for any purpose except as otherwise allowed under law. Provisions for the dissemination of adult criminal justice records are also contained in the Duncan ordinance. Also included in this compendium is Rule 118 of the Criminal Rules of the District of Columbia Superior Court, which pertains to the sealing of arrest records.
Compendium of State Privacy and Security Legislation: 1997 Overview - District of Columbia; District of Columbia Code Title One
NCJ Number
170044
Date Published
May 1997
Annotation
This is a 1997 overview of District of Columbia law pertinent to the privacy and security of criminal justice information.
Abstract
Date Published: May 1, 1997