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Collecting and Maintaining Criminal History Records in Illinois

NCJ Number
194048
Journal
Trends & Issues Volume: 3 Issue: 2 Dated: November 2001 Pages: 1-4
Author(s)
Chris Humble
Date Published
2001
Length
4 pages
Annotation
This paper examines the scope of adult criminal history record information in Illinois.
Abstract
All aspects of criminal history records, including collection, maintenance, and dissemination, are handled by the Illinois State Police (ISP). All law enforcement agencies, State's attorneys, and circuit clerks in each county, along with the Illinois Department of Corrections (IDOC), must submit arrest, charge, disposition, and custodial information to the ISP within a set time frame. Criminal history records can be accessed by school districts for employee checks, by State's attorneys for determining offender eligibility for enhanced sentencing, by IDOC officials in determining security levels, and by liquor control commissions in determining qualifications for a liquor license. The public may request conviction information for a fee. The Illinois Criminal History Improvement Plan of 1991 requires that 95 percent of current felony arrests and fingerprints be complete. The plan also requires current felony arrest records with fingerprints to contain subsequent State's attorney and court dispositions upon termination of the cases, as well as up-to-date sentencing and prison release information. Identifying fingerprints and linking them to a criminal history record was made easier in the 1980's and 1990's with the development of the Automated Fingerprint Information System and livescan, an electronic fingerprinting device. This paper also discusses the funding sources for the criminal history records system as well as record audits.