NCJ Number
94005
Date Published
1983
Length
12 pages
Annotation
This testimony reports that the Office of Technology Assessment's study of the prospects for a national computerized criminal history (CCH) system concludes that Federal legislation is the most appropriate means for guiding the full implementation of a national CCH system that will enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of the criminal justice process, protect privacy and constitutional rights, and properly balance the roles and responsibilities of the Federal and State governments.
Abstract
The study concluded that the United States already has a national criminal history record system, in that the FBI and 49 of the 50 States have their own centralized record repositories, but the current system, while showing significant improvement over the last decade, is still not fully meeting criminal justice needs nor fully protecting privacy and individual rights. The leading candidate for a national CCH system is the Interstate Identification Index (known as the Triple-I or III for short). The III is intended to (1) determine whether a specific person has a prior criminal record elsewhere; (2) obtain key criminal history information, if a prior record exists; (3) use positive (fingerprint derived) identification; (4) facilitate record exchange among State and Federal files; and (5) phase out FBI 'rap sheets' and criminal history records except for Federal offenders, with State offender records to be maintained only by States. Federal legislation to implement the III or a similar system is recommended because the system must be national in scope, is interstate, will require future Federal funding, will affect implementation of Federal criminal record statutes and executive orders, will affect implementation of Federal privacy and security statutes and regulations, and will affect protection of constitutional rights.