U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government, Department of Justice.

Criminal history records

National Criminal History Improvement Program grants

President Clinton Announces Over $41 Million to Stop Violent Criminals From Purchasing Firearms

Grants Will Improve Criminal History Records Vital to National Check System

WASHINGTON, DC—At the White House today, President Clinton announced that 46 states are receiving grants totaling more than $41 million to continue improving criminal history records, which will help keep felons from purchasing handguns. This is the fourth year of funding...

National Criminal History Improvement Program Grants

Justice Department Awards Over $42 Million to Improve Criminal History Records

Funds Enhance Identification of Ineligible Gun Purchasers and Sex Offenders

WASHINGTON, Aug. 20—The Justice Department today is awarding more than $42 million to 55 states and territories to continue automating and improving the quality of criminal history records, which can help law enforcement with background checks for guns and other purposes. The awards mark...

Compendium of State Privacy and Security Legislation

References and classifies state legislation on privacy and security of state criminal history record information. Statutes are grouped into 29 categories and presented by classification and state. It is compiled every two years.

Federal Firearm Offenders, 1992-98: With Preliminary Data for 1999 & Background Checks for Firearm Transfers, 1999

ADVANCE FOR RELEASE AT 4:30 P.M. EDT BJS
SUNDAY, June 4, 2000 202/307-0784

More Than 200,000 Firearms Applications Rejected in 1999
Defendants Charged with Federal Firearms Offenses Increased from 1998 to 1999

WASHINGTON, D.C.- Approximately 536,000 of the more than 22.2 million individual applications to purchase or pawn firearms have been rejected based on federal, state or local laws since the inception of the Brady Act...

Recidivism Survey of Felons on Probation

The one-time survey provided national estimates of the recidivism rate of felons sentenced to probation in selected years. In the survey, samples of convicted felons placed on probation were tracked for three years, and data were compiled on the percentage of them who were are rearrested, reconvicted, or reimprisoned for new crimes within the three-year follow-up period. The various recidivism measures were based on official...

Background Checks for Firearm Transfers, 2000

ADVANCE FOR RELEASE AT 4:30 P.M. EDT BJS
SUNDAY, July 1, 2001 202/307-0784

FIREARMS PURCHASE APPLICATIONS DECLINED
DURING 2000

About 2 percent of the requests were rejected

WASHINGTON, D.C. - About 153,000 of the approximately 7.7 million applications for firearms transfers or permits were rejected last year, the Justice Department's Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) announced today.

The Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act mandates criminal...

National Criminal History Improvement Program

DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE AWARDS OVER $36 MILLION TO IMPROVE CRIMINAL BACKGROUND CHECK SYSTEMS

WASHINGTON, D.C.—The Department of Justice announced today that it is awarding over $36 million to the 50 states, District of Columbia, and three territories to improve the quality and accessibility of the nation�s criminal history record systems. States can use the funds for a variety of purposes, including to strengthen their criminal...

Background Checks for Firearm Transfers, 2002

ADVANCE FOR RELEASE AT 4:30 A.M. EDT Bureau of Justice Statistics
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 17, 2003 Contact: Stu Smith
  202/307-0784

BACKGROUND CHECKS BLOCKED 136,000 GUN PURCHASES IN 2002

WASHINGTON, D.C.- The National Instant Criminal Background Check System last year rejected 136,000 applications from among the more than 7.8 million applications to buy or transfer a firearm, a 1.7 percent rejection rate, the Justice Department's Bureau...

National Criminal History Improvement Program, 2004

ADVANCE FOR RELEASE AT 4:30 P.M. EDT Bureau of Justice Statistics
THURSDAY, September 23, 2004 Contact: Stu Smith 202/307-0784
  After hours: 301-983-9354

DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE ANNOUNCES $31 MILLION TO ENHANCE STATE CRIMINAL JUSTICE RECORDS

WASHINGTON, D.C. - The Justice Department today announced $31 million in awards to state agencies to improve the completeness, quality and accessibility of the nation's criminal record systems. Since 1995...

National Criminal History Improvement Program (NCHIP) Awards

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Bureau of Justice Statistics
MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 26, 2005 www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs
  Contact: Stu Smith 202/307-0784
  After hours: 301-983-9354

DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE AWARDS $26 MILLION TO ENHANCE
STATE CRIMINAL JUSTICE RECORDS

WASHINGTON, D.C.—The Department of Justice today announced awards of $26 million to state agencies and tribes to improve the completeness, quality and accessibility of the nation's criminal record systems. Of this amount...

National Criminal History Improvement Program (NCHIP), Awards

ADVANCE FOR RELEASE AT 4:30 P.M. EDT Bureau of Justice Statistics
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 27, 2006 www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs
  Contact: Stu Smith 202/307-0784
  After hours: 301-983-9354

JUSTICE AWARDS $11 MILLION TO ENHANCE STATE CRIMINAL JUSTICE RECORDS

WASHINGTON—The Justice Department's Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) today announced almost $11 million in awards to state agencies to improve the completeness, quality and accessibility of the nation's criminal record...

BJS FY 09 NICS Estimates Verification and Validation

Closing Date
This program furthers the Department's mission by improving the records utilized by NICS by providing assistance to states to improve the completeness, automation, and transmittal of records to state and federal systems. Such records include criminal history records, records of felony convictions, warrants, records of protective orders, convictions for misdemeanors involving domestic violence and stalking, records of mental health adjudications, and others, which may disqualify...

BJS FY 09 Conversion of Criminal History Records into Research Databases

Closing Date
The Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) seeks a data processing agent through a cooperative agreement to convert criminal history records into research databases to support recidivism studies. This program furthers the Department's mission by enhancing BJS's capability to conduct recidivism studies more efficiently and, therefore, more frequently. For years, BJS recidivism research has utilized data reported manually to BJS by individual state criminal history repositories...

Interstate Identification Index (III)

An "index-pointer" system for the interstate exchange of criminal history records. Under III, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) maintains an identification index of persons arrested for felonies or serious misdemeanors under state or federal law. The index includes identification information, (such as name, date of birth, race, and sex), FBI Numbers, and State Identification Numbers (SID) from each state holding information about an individual. Search inquiries from criminal justice agencies nationwide are transmitted automatically via state telecommunications networks and the FBI's National Crime Information Center (NCIC) telecommunications lines. Searches are made on the basis of name and other identifiers. The process is entirely automated and takes approximately five seconds to complete. If a hit is made against the Index, record requests are made using the SID or FBI Number, and data are automatically retrieved from each repository holding records on the individual and forwarded to the requesting agency. Participation requires that the state maintain an automated criminal history record system capable of interfacing with the III system and capable of responding automatically to all interstate and federal and state record requests.