Advocates for CORI change take message to State House

Former convicts and prison-reform advocates gathered on the State House steps yesterday to urge lawmakers to change what they described as restrictive aspects of the state’s criminal records system.

They called on Beacon Hill to pass a bill to reduce the time many former convicts’ crimes remain a publicly accessible record, prohibit questions on job applications about whether someone has served a jail sentence, and computerize crime records so they are more easily accessible by employers and less onerous to seal by former convicts.

“It’s clear that if someone has done their time and paid their debts to society, they should be allowed to break out of their current silos and reintegrate into society,’’ said Wilnelia Rivera, chairwoman of the Commonwealth CORI Coalition, which has been lobbying lawmakers to change the state’s Criminal Offender Registry Information system.

She said the proposed legislation would reduce the waiting period to seal records for those convicted of felonies from 15 years to 10 years and for those convicted of misdemeanors from 10 years to five years.

The criminal records of murderers and sex offenders, however, would remain accessible to the public for as long as the offenders live.

Rivera and others urged lawmakers to change the law so that CORI records eligible to be sealed would no longer be disseminated — and possibly further hinder someone’s progress.

They also are seeking legislation that would require employers to notify job applicants if they were disqualified because of their CORI record, allowing them to dispute any possible inaccuracy.

“Our state cannot afford to ignore this issue any longer,’’ said Representative Liz Malia, a Jamaica Plain Democrat and a leading sponsor of the bill.

“This is a fiscal issue as well as a moral issue. People with convictions are kept out of the job market and the housing market, and the cost to the state is too much,’’ she said at the rally.

Malia and other lawmakers said they expect the CORI reform bill to be voted on in the next few weeks.

Governor Deval Patrick supports CORI change, and a version of the legislation passed the Senate last fall.

The Senate bill allows former convicts to review their CORI information for free; increases penalties for the deliberate misuse of CORI records; creates a new offense for using the records to harass former convicts; and requires employers relying on CORI records to provide them to job applicants.

House Speaker Robert DeLeo said at a recent press conference on Beacon Hill he thinks the CORI proposal has a “very good’’ chance of passing this month.

“That’s one of my first, top priorities to take up,’’ he said.

At the rally, several hundred supporters of reform held up signs with messages such as “We Are the Future; Don’t Judge Our Pasts’’ and “Remove Dismissed Cases.’’

Jack Johnson, executive director of the Massachusetts Council of Churches, said reform would allow former convicts a measure of redemption.

He also noted that offenders who remain unemployed are more likely to commit new crimes.

Without a job, he said, “The odds one faces in seeking to begin again are overwhelmingly against succeeding in becoming a good citizen who may contribute to the common good.’’

The Rev. Raymond Hammond of the Ten-Point Coalition said even former convicts deserve a second chance.

“Is there anyone who hasn’t made a mistake?’’ he asked the crowd.

“We forgive our legislators when they make mistakes. We bail out people who make billion-dollar mistakes.’’