Sen. Gomez Touts Bills to Automate Process for CORI Record Sealing

BOSTON — State Sen. Adam Gomez joined his legislative colleagues and members of Clean Slate Massachusetts at the State House in Boston this week for a briefing on a pair of bills aimed at automating the process for CORI record sealing and streamlining the process for those looking to clear their name. Both bills would immediately seal offenses if they end favorably in a dismissal or other outcome that is not a conviction, expediting a process the currently requires a hearing before a judge before being cleared.

“We all deserve a fair opportunity to make a living, care for ourselves, and live in decency; we all deserve a fair shot at a future,” Gomez said, adding that he is pround to co-sponsor legislation resulting in the immediate sealing of favorably ending offenses or other non-convictions. “Making this process automatic for currently eligible people would ease the burden of navigating this process and eliminate collateral consequences, ensuring that people who were incarcerated have the opportunity to succeed.”

Massachusetts laws protecting CORI data are currently very strict, with the legislature limiting access to a sealed CORI to law enforcement, the Department of Early Education and Care for approval to work with children, and the Department of Youth Services and Children and Families to approve adoptive and foster-care homes. Once a CORI is sealed, clerks of the courts and the commissioner of Probation are required to say “no record exists” to all who ask unless they come from an aforementioned authority.

CORI sealing in Massachusetts has a history of being a hard-to-understand, petition-based process wrought with backlogs and delays that can be several months long. As of January, 672,000 people in Massachusetts are eligible to have their CORIs sealed, but of those eligible, only about 10% have sealed CORIs.

In the 12 states that currently automate this process, sealing rates have increased by 300% to 400%, and studies show that a sealed record increases an individual’s likelihood of finding a job and boost earnings significantly as they gain access to career-advancement opportunities. This contributes to increased consumer spending, tax revenues, and reduced reliance on public assistance. This change is also a form of racial justice reform, as a disproportionate number of those eligible for CORI sealing are Black or Latino.