Are CORI Background Checks Obsolete? Maybe. (OPINION)

When I was an active volunteer in my parish, I had to fill one out even though I had no reasonable expectation of contact with children. I've also had to fill out forms for jobs, even those I was applying for.

What is a CORI?

"Massachusetts state courts keep records of what happens in every criminal case. These records are called CORI - Criminal Offender Record Information." (MassLegalHelp.com)

A CORI is simply a form that gives an employer or other entity permission to pull any criminal record you may have.

Why do employers and non-profits request one?

As a former altar server at my local church, I was required to fill out a CORI. Even though I had no unsupervised contact with children, *everyone* in my parish was required to fill one out. They even made a big show by having us fill them out after Mass, so everyone could see how they're protecting the children.

Yes, the very priests and administrators who covered up the abuse that is, reportedly, *still* going on, want to wave their *mea culpa* for all to see by inconveniencing everyone else.

Does a CORI "catch" everything?

In a word ... No. A CORi is only useful in finding arrest records in one particular state. If, for instance, you left the state (or the country, for that matter), a CORI check would not catch if you committed a crime outside Massachusetts.

With access to court dockets and other information, why not just run a quick check?

Even though even the online court dockets are incomplete, they can give you a snapshot of a person's interaction with the judicial system.

The court dockets online to require a bit of the Miss Marple in all of us. You will have to enter then name for each court, be it the Superior Court or the Housing Court in a particularly area or the Municipal Court.

Try it. Enter any name -- heck, you can use mine -- and see what comes up. Even better, put in your own name and see what's out there.

Yes, it requires work, but it will give you a much more complete picture of the person you wish to hire.

A person's social media presence would tell you more about them than an arrest five years ago for a marijuana roach, right?

A cursory look at anyone's social media presence, including any blogs or comments on news sites -- which are usually linked to either a Facebook or a Twitter account -- will tell you everything you want to know about someone. (BTW, I am juliekelleher57 on Reddit, SoundCloud, Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook. I have also posted under julikell and juliethejarhead.)

I worked with a woman named Bobbi. She was constantly complaining about how horrible everyone was to her, how she was continually passed over for promotion, how she was given all the "busy work," etc. As far as I know, she had no criminal record. Still, I wouldn't hire her, never.

I always say: "The only difference between people in jail and people not in jail that the people in jail got caught."

Why is a CORI overly intrusive?

My main complaint: a CORI requests *arrest* recordss, while ignoring the results of the arrest. Once can be arrested and never be indicted. By asking for arrests only, a CORI may violate the presumption of innocence.

People who, for whatever reason, refuse to fill out a CORI may be hiding something. But, more likely, they consider CORIs an invasion of privacy and a violation of the well-honored "presumption of innocence."

And don't tell me, "If you have nothing to hide, then you don't have a problem with it." One: we all have something to hide. I've only known of two adults who have had nothing to hide. My mother, who died in 2004, and my father, who died in 2009. So I think I'm safe to say that pretty much everyone has something to hide.

That's not the point.

In the end, CORIs are overly intrusive, barely effective, and nearly unnecessary in our digital age.

Disclaimer: I am not an attorney. Do not construe this OPINION article as legal advice. Please consult an attorney for any legal questions.

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