Office of the Attorney General, Department of Justice   Fingerprint image
OFFICE OF THE AG PROGRAMS & SERVICES NEWS & ALERTS PUBLICATIONS CONTACT US SEARCH
REGISTERING WITH US CAREER OPPORTUNITIES LINKS TO STATE SITES


 
Fingerprint Submissions
General Information
Forms
Security Information
Fingerprint Certification Program

Fingerprint Submissions
Security of Criminal Offender Record Information

Criminal Offender Record Information (CORI), including responses that no criminal record exists, are confidential. Sections 11142 and 11143 of the Penal Code provide for criminal penalties for the release of this information to unauthorized individuals.

Article I, Section 1 of the California Constitution grants California citizens an absolute right to privacy. Individuals or agencies violating these privacy rights place themselves at both criminal and civil liability. The California right of privacy was created to curb, among other things, the over broad collection and retention of personal information by government agencies, the improper use of information properly obtained for a proper purpose, and the lack of a reasonable check on the accuracy of existing records. (White v. Davis (1975) 13 Cal.3d 757, 775.)

CORI shall be accessible only to the records custodian and/or hiring authority charged with determining the suitability for employment or licensing of an applicant. The information received shall be used by the requesting agency solely for the purpose for which it was requested and shall not be reproduced for secondary dissemination to any other employing or licensing agency.

Upon determination of employment or licensing, the records shall be destroyed to the extent that the identity of the individual can no longer be reasonably ascertained. (Code of Regulation, Title 11, Section 708)

The retention and sharing of information between employing and licensing agencies are strictly prohibited. The retention and sharing of information infringe upon the right of privacy and fails to meet the compelling state interest defined in Loder v. Municipal Court (1976) 17 Cal.3d 859. In addition, maintenance of redundant information separate from the information maintained by the California Department of Justice (DOJ) avoids the updates and makes it impossible for DOJ to control dissemination of CORI as outlined in section 11105 of the Penal Code.

Attorney General Logo OFFICE OF THE AG | PROGRAMS & SERVICES | NEWS & ALERTS | PUBLICATIONS | CONTACT US | SEARCH
REGISTERING WITH US | CAREER OPPORTUNITIES | LINKS TO STATE SITES
Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions | © 2001 DOJ