In August 2010, Massachusetts enacted a statute that set in motion two waves of reform in the state’s Criminal Offender Record Information (“CORI”) system. Employers already have had at least fifteen months to adjust to the “ban the box” reform that became effective in November 2010. The second wave of CORI reforms is scheduled to take effect on May 4, 2012 and employers should start preparing for the new rules now. Highlights of the new CORI system from an employer’s standpoint include: “Criminal offender record information” will have essentially the same meaning; A criminal record that has been sealed will not be accessible in the typical employment situation; A limited amount of criminal offender information in an unsealed record will continue to be available to almost anyone who requests it; An employer will be able to obtain more criminal offender information than a mere member of the general public; etc.
