State lawmakers are advancing a bill to modernize the state’s criminal court records and fingerprinting systems to improve public safety and streamline employment background checks.
The proposed law would require all 88 counties to report case disposition data to a centralized database.
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The initiative focuses on the Computerized Criminal History, or CCH, an upgraded system designed to provide accurate information on how criminal cases are resolved.
By closing existing data gaps, state officials said they are hoping to ensure that background checks correctly identify individuals who should be disqualified from certain roles while clearing those who were not convicted of crimes.
Rep. Andrea White of Ohio’s 36th District is a lead supporter of the legislation and previously served as the clerk of courts for Kettering Municipal Court.
Drawing on her experience with court records, White emphasized the need for a system with high integrity.
“This bill is about public safety and jobs,” White said.
She described the effort as “looking at the gaps, closing the gaps and figuring out how we can all work together to make sure we have an accurate system with integrity.”
The legislation aims to provide law enforcement officers with better information during police interactions.
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This data would allow officers to recognize if a suspect’s history warrants higher charges based on prior offenses.
Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost said the bill would mandate that all 88 counties in the state report case information to the centralized system.
The proposal includes funding to assist local courts with the technology upgrades required to share this data.
Yost noted that missing information about the outcome of a case, known as disposition data, creates significant risks for employers.
“We don’t want sex offenders getting jobs in daycares because we don’t have disposition data,” Yost said.
The updated system is also intended to protect individuals who were not convicted of a crime but have a record of a police interaction.
Yost explained that a lack of final case details can lead to inaccurate background checks that unfairly penalize job seekers.
“If you had a criminal interaction that didn’t end in a conviction, it shouldn’t keep you from getting a job,” Yost said.
The new system is designed to provide faster and more reliable results for employment screenings.
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