FY 2018 Arkansas NCHIP

The goal of the National Criminal History Improvement Program (NCHIP) is to improve the Nation's safety and security by enhancing the quality, completeness, and accessibility of criminal history record information and by insuring the nationwide implementation of criminal justice and noncriminal justice background check systems. BJS provides direct financial and technical assistance to the states to improve criminal history and other related records and to build their infrastructure to connect to national record check systems both to supply information and to conduct the requisite checks. Under this award, the Arkansas Crime Information Center (ACIC) plans to reduce the States disposition backlog by locating missing dispositions and entering them into the state criminal history repository, then transferring the disposition information to NCIC for inclusion in the National file. Criminal justice agencies are required by Arkansas law to report arrest and disposition information in a timely manner as recommended by ACIC. There are often breakdowns at different levels that result in incomplete criminal history records. Obtaining dispositions is a continuing challenge. To address that challenge, ACIC uses several different techniques including a variety of manual record retrieval and data entry procedures, as well as electronic retrieval. Searching out missing dispositions in court records and reducing the backlog of data entry of disposition data is a top priority of ACIC. Funds will be used to hire a vendor to visit circuit and district courts throughout the State of Arkansas to evaluate and collect disposition information. (CA/NCF)