Lynn advocates bound for CORI reform rally

LYNN – Members of the advocacy group Neighbor to Neighbor Lynn are bound for the State House Tuesday to support reform of the state’s Criminal Offender Record Information system, otherwise known as CORI.”The current CORI system is broken and needs to be updated to reflect changes in its use. Once used exclusively by law enforcement, CORI reports are now used by employers, landlords, and many others in decisions on hiring, housing, student loans, and more,” said Jose Maria Hernandez, a spokesman for Neighbor to Neighbor Lynn.”In the midst of our current fiscal crisis, the CORI system leads to losses in state revenue. Additionally, the system does not help qualified applicants find employment, reduces our workforce, and hurts families and communities.”The reform advocates plan to hold a press conference and lobby at the State House where a bevy of speakers are slated to discuss the issue.Speakers slated to address the audience include Boston Mayor Thomas Menino, state Secretary of Public Safety and Security Kevin Burke, Suffolk Sheriff Andrea Cabral, Mass AFL-CIO President Bobby Haynes, Sen. Harriette Chandler, Rep. Liz Malia, and at least one Lynn resident directly impacted by the issue. The forum will focus on the economic impacts of the CORI system, from lost revenue to fostering unemployment.Jacqueline Nivar, a member of Neighbor to Neighbor Lynn, said the current CORI system has impacted her life. “Obtaining the job that I am equipped for has become very challenging,” she said. “The only hope that I have right now is the passage of the N2N CORI reform proposal”.Neighbor to Neighbor and the Commonwealth CORI Coalition are partnering to promote the reform movement by holding the press conference and lobby day.Massachusetts keeps record of every criminal court appearance in the state courts. Even if the charges are dismissed or the person is found not guilty, the CORI data entry remains on file with a state agency n the Criminal History Systems Board (CHSB).Reform advocates contend the database is harmful and misleading.Although Neighbor to Neighbor and other groups contend the criminal information was meant only for the eyes of law enforcement agencies, the CHSB’s mission statement “is to provide timely and accurate criminal justice information and services to authorized law enforcement and non-criminal justice agencies and individuals in support of promoting the public safety and security of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.”Cabral,the Suffolk County sheriff, said the costs of incarceration are unsustainable and continue to increase. “When CORI is used in appropriately to bar access to employment, housing or higher education, people resort to whatever means are available in order to survive,” she said. “Recidivism goes up, public safety suffers and the costs of corrections increases. We know what the problems are. Let’s fix them.”Hernandez said the rally is meant to gather support and call attention to to the issue, which is the subject of a July 28 hearing.