Survey of State Criminal History Information Systems, 2022

Since 1989, the Survey of State Criminal History Information Systems has been used to collect the nation's most complete, comprehensive and relevant data on the number and status of state-maintained criminal history records and on the increasing number of operations and services involving noncriminal justice background checks provided by the state repositories. This data collection is supported by Cooperative Agreement No. 15PBJS-23-GK-00052-NCHI awarded by the Bureau of Justice Statistics, Office of Justice Programs, U.S. Department of Justice. Please note: Completion of the survey is voluntary; however, doing so is a special condition placed on all National Criminal History Improvement Program (NCHIP) and NICS Act Record Improvement Program (NARIP) awards.

If you use the online survey tool, accessible at http://www.searchgroup.org/surveys/repository/, to enter 2022 data, you can view previously submitted 2020 data for comparison purposes.  Where applicable, your state's 2020 responses are displayed in color within each section of the online survey. It is hoped that this information will help you complete the survey more accurately and efficiently.  The cover letter provides the password to gain access to your state's online survey. Direct your questions or comments to SEARCH staff Dennis DeBacco at 775-412-1950 or dennis@search.org.

If it is more convenient, you may request a PDF copy of the survey, complete it manually, and fax (916-392-8440) or e-mail it to the attention of Dennis DeBacco at dennis@search.org. The deadline for survey submission is August 15, 2023.

The survey is divided into five sections. You may submit each section independently and not necessarily in the order presented. This is done so that different people on your repository's staff may submit the data for which they are responsible. Repository directors are responsible to see that the survey is submitted in its entirety. Please note the following:

1. All reported data should be for calendar year 2022, or as of December 31, 2022.
2. The term "felony" includes any crime classified as a felony under your state's laws. These offenses are generally punishable by a term of incarceration in excess of one year. If your state's laws do not use the term "felony," please substitute functional equivalents, such as class 1, 2, 3 and 4 offenses in New Jersey and class A, B and C offenses in Maine.
3. Questions that seek responses based on a "legal requirement" refer only to a state statute or a state administrative regulation having the force of law.
4. If additional space is needed, please use the "Additional Comments" area at the end of each section.
5. Please use the "Additional Comments" area at the end of each section to provide explanatory notes for responses that require explanation or when "no data is available," and to describe significant changes between the current response and data reported in the 2020 survey.
6. If a question is not applicable to your repository, please note the question number and indicate "NA" in the "Additional Comments" area at the end of each section.

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