This 2014 report of the findings and methodology of the Survey of State Criminal History Information Systems, presents data from the criminal history files of 49 States, the District of Columbia, Guam, and Puerto Rico.
The total number of persons in these criminal history files was 105,569,200, with some individual offenders possibly having criminal records in more than one State or territory. Twenty-nine States, the District of Columbia, Guam, and Puerto Rico have fully automated criminal history files. Twenty-one States and Guam, representing 41 percent of the individual offenders in the Nation's criminal history records, report that 80 percent or more arrests in the entire criminal history database have final dispositions recorded. The report also provides data on the information contained in criminal records, such as the number of States that accept 10-fingerprint images, palm prints, facial recognition data, or associated biometric information. The survey also provides data on flagging of records, dispositions, and the matching of dispositions received to specific arrest events. In addition, the survey contained queries on whether criminal history systems contained protection order information, warrants and wanted persons, accessibility of records and services, repository practices and technologies used, non-criminal background checks, and "rap back" (provision for informing an employer or other designated entity when an individual in the system has been rearrested). 23 tables and a copy of the survey instrument.