Criminal Offender Record Information (CORI) Policy

Name of Your Congregation

The following policy is adopted by the Sudbury United Methodist Church to be in compliance with Massachusetts State Law (MGL c.6 sec 172H), MA Executive Office of Elder Affairs CORI Guidelines for adults 60 years and older and by The General Conference of the United Methodist Church and Resolution 209 of the New England Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church.

1.  All persons who volunteer to work with children, youth, vulnerable adults and senior members must complete a CORI background investigation. These persons include, but are not limited to, Sunday school teachers, nursery volunteers, youth mentors, adult chaperones, Vacation Bible School volunteers, Stephen Ministers and other volunteers v The CORI administrator at (name of congregation) is the (name of responsible staff position).

2. A CORI includes:

a. all pending criminal charges, including cases continued without a finding of guilt, until they are dismissed;

b. all misdemeanor convictions and felony convictions dating from the subject's 17th birthday;

c. information relating to those offenses for which the subject was adjudicated as an adult while younger than 17 years old;

d. information regarding charged criminal offenses that did not result in conviction, such as cases that were dismissed, cases in which a nolle prosequi was entered by the Commonwealth, cases in which the subject was found not guilty, and cases in which a continuation without a finding of guilt has been dismissed; and

e. all convictions for murder, voluntary manslaughter, involuntary manslaughter, and sex offenses, as defined by M.G.L. c. 6, § 178, punishable by a term of incarceration in state prison, unless sealed. (803 CMR 2.5)

3.  The CORI process:

  1. Mandates that the personnel responsible for reviewing CORI reports in the decision-making process is familiar with the educational materials made available to the Department of Criminal Justice Information Services (DCJIS).
  2. Requires the submission to the (name of responsible staff position) of a completed CORI request form which must include a photocopy of a government issued identification document.
  3. Data entry by the (name of responsible staff position) into a password-protected encrypted electronic location at the Department of Justice Criminal Information.
  4. The receipt of a report issued by the Department of Justice Criminal Information Services via this same secure electronic connection.
  5. The creation of a printed report that is stapled to the CORI request form and stored in a locked file cabinet in (name of congregation) Main Office. The Main Office is locked when no one is in the office.
  6. Deletion of the electronic file from the (name of responsible staff position’s) computer.

4.  The (name of responsible staff position) is the person authorized to read the results. The information disclosed in a CORI may be shared/viewed ONLY with the Pastor(s), (insert other staff position name if necessary) and the Chair of the Staff- Parish Relations Commission (limited to the records of paid staff only) whose names are on file with the Department of Justice Criminal Information services.

5.  A criminal record will not automatically disqualify an applicant. As part of an entity that is insured and as Christians we have the obligation to exercise "due diligence." A criminal background check provides information that can help us protect one another, but also can be a means of grace as we remember that we are called to forgive "seventy x seven." However, there are some offenses that are so egregious that we cannot permit a potential volunteer's interaction with a particular population. Here are some questions that are used to make a decision as to what is best in a particular situation:

  1. How old is the offense?
  2. What do we know about this person from our contact with them?
  3. How long have they been in our congregation?
  4. Have they received counseling or treatment?
  5. Does the offense put a child/youth/adult in our care at risk?
  6. Does this offense provide a financial risk for our congregation?
  7. Is there a way we can minimize risk (supervision, limiting exposure, etc.)?”

(Source: http://www.neumc.org/pages/detail/765)

6.  If a CORI report discloses a criminal record, the applicant will be provided with a copy of the record and an opportunity to dispute the accuracy and relevance of the criminal record. The applicant will be provided with a copy of DCJIS Information Concerning the Process of Correcting a Criminal Record.

7.  A CORI is valid for three (3) years