The Massachusetts state legislature gave final approval to an overhaul of the state’s criminal background check system Tuesday.

First introduced as a state legislative proposal in 2005, reforming the Criminal Offender Record Information – known as CORI – has been championed by a broad array of stakeholders including major law enforcement and business associations. Steve O’Neil, Executive Director of Ex-prisoners and Prisoner Organizing for Community Advancement said “when you’re trying to support your family, get your life on track, and be a role model, you can only have the door slammed in your face so many times. We’ve been educating people across the state for over 6 years – even in a 5 -day walk from Worcester to Boston – exposing CORI as an arcane and counterproductive system.

The new legislation allows felony offenses to be closed after 10 years and misdemeanors after 5. The reduction of 5 years would not apply to cases of homicide or sex offenses, however.

If you or anyone you know has been charged with a sex crime, contact a Massachusetts sex crime lawyer of James Powderly at 508-343-0676.