North Carolina’s highest court says a database collecting criminal records from courthouses around the state does not have to be provided to anyone who asks. The state Supreme Court ruled Friday that legislators intended to limit the methods of access to the Automated Criminal/Infraction System. The high court says the public information on criminal cases remains available by combing through paper files, using a computer terminal at the courthouse, or by signing a contract for remote access with the state courts administrator.
The case is a setback for data-collection company Lexis/Nexis, which wanted a copy of the database under the theory that is was a public record itself. a lower state appeals court sided with the company last year.
VeriScreen was one of the first background screening companies licensed by the state of North Carolina. North Carolina figured out how to provide the most accurate and timely information to companies that want to take the time to gett the information correctly. This ensures that expunged records are not reported.
As we keep telling everyone. The days of the cheap and fast criminal database scan are over!
