If you have been arrested for Operating Under the Influence (OUI), there are many possible negative impacts on your life. Aside from fines, court appearances, possible jail time, insurance rate increases, and having your license revoked, there is a major social stigma surrounding OUI arrests that could make you very uncomfortable. Once you have been arrested for a Massachusetts OUI, information about the record is made public, meaning that anyone can find out about it. That said, this information is not publically broadcast, so if someone does find out about it, they must look you up specifically. However, Massachusetts does not disclose information about an OUI with other states, because they do not take part in the Interstate Drivers License Compact.
CORI Background Checks
You may request your own CORI record (a name-based court record check) to get a complete view of your criminal record. In addition, other private parties can run a CORI check on you, provided that you give them a signed document with your permission.
Private CORI Checks
Some examples of people or organizations who may request to do a CORI check on you are:
- Landlords or housing authorities before agreeing to take you as a tenant
- Employers or prospective employers before being hired or promoted
- Schools before approving parent-chaperones for trips or outings
- Adoption agencies before beginning an adoption process
Courts and Law Enforcement Agencies
Law enforcement agencies have the full right to run a CORI check on you without your permission for any standard duty. In addition, courts, court-appointed officers, probation officers, or others involved in the judicial system will be able to run full CORI reports on you without your permission as it pertains to an ongoing legal case.
Can I See Who Requested My CORI Report?
The Massachusetts Department of Criminal Justice Information Services allows people to run a self-check on their CORI history, which will provide the names of any non-government official or agency who has checked your report. This audit is free every 90 days, but has a fee of $25 if you choose to request it more than once in a 3-month period.
Consumer Reporting Agencies
There are many public registry sites that are accessible by anyone that gives information about an OUI/DWI arrest. Luckily, a member of the public who wishes to pull these records must pay for that access, meaning that although you can not control who ultimately has access, it is not likely that they will just stumble upon it. Once an individual has been made aware of this information though, there is no law that stops them from sharing knowledge of your arrest.
Can I Keep People From Finding Out I’ve Been Arrested for OUI?
Unfortunately, you don’t have any legal options to keep people from finding out that you’ve been arrested for an OUI. Your best chance at beating the charges will be to contact a Massachusetts OUI attorney, and working with them to ensure that you take every step towards clearing up this detrimental situation. While you don’t have the ability to keep people from finding out about your arrest, you may be able to avoid any further consequences that would come with a guilty finding.