Article 2.5. Criminal Record Dissemination of California Penal Code >> Title 1. >> Part 4. >> Chapter 1. >> Article 2.5.

(a) As used in this article, "criminal offender record information" means records and data compiled by criminal justice agencies for purposes of identifying criminal offenders and of maintaining as to each such offender a summary of arrests, pretrial proceedings, the nature and disposition of criminal charges, sentencing, incarceration, rehabilitation, and release.
  (b) Such information shall be restricted to that which is recorded as the result of an arrest, detention, or other initiation of criminal proceedings or of any consequent proceedings related thereto.

Criminal offender record information shall be disseminated, whether directly or through any intermediary, only to such agencies as are, or may subsequently be, authorized access to such records by statute.

The Attorney General is responsible for the security of criminal offender record information. To this end, he or she shall:
  (a) Establish regulations to assure the security of criminal offender record information from unauthorized access and disclosures by individuals and public and private agencies at all levels of operation in this state.
  (b) Establish regulations to assure that this information is disseminated only in situations in which it is demonstrably required for the performance of an agency's or official's functions.
  (c) Coordinate these activities with those of any interstate systems for the exchange of criminal offender record information.
  (d) Cause to be initiated for employees of all agencies that maintain, receive, or are eligible to maintain or receive, criminal offender record information a continuing educational program in the proper use and control of criminal offender record information.
  (e) Establish regulations as he or she finds appropriate to carry out his or her functions under this article.

(a) Commencing July 1, 2005, and except as provided by subdivision (b), the Department of Justice shall accept fingerprint images and related information to process criminal offender record information requests for employment, licensing, certification, custodial child placement, or adoption purposes, only if those images and related information are electronically transmitted. The department shall continually monitor the statewide availability of electronic transmission sights and work with public and private entities to ensure reasonable availability is maintained.
  (b) The department shall, based on the regional unavailability of electronic transmission sites or when departmental processing procedures show a need, accept hard fingerprint cards in order to process criminal offender record information requests for employment, licensing, certification, custodial child placement, or adoption purposes.

(a) The Attorney General shall establish a communication network that allows the transmission of requests from private service providers in California to the Department of Justice for criminal offender record information for purposes of employment, licensing, certification, custodial child placement or adoption. The communication network shall allow any entity that is approved by the department to connect directly to the department.
  (b) Users of the communication network shall undergo initial and remedial training as determined by the department. Failure or refusal to comply with the training requirement shall terminate the connection to the communication network until the training is completed. The scope of the training and the entities' level of participation shall be determined by the department.
  (c) Users of the communication network shall comply with any policy, practice, procedure, or requirement deemed necessary by the department to maintain network security and stability. Failure or refusal to comply shall terminate the connection to the communication network until the department determines that there is satisfactory compliance.
  (d) Users of the communication network shall only use hardware and software in relation to or for connection to the communication network that is currently approved and certified by the department, the National Institute of Standards and Technology, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
  (e) Users of the communication network shall be independently responsible for securing all hardware, software, and telecommunication service or linkage necessary to accomplish connection to the communication network, once they are authorized by the department.
  (f) The communication network shall be implemented by July 1, 2004.
  (g) Nothing in this section is intended to authorize any entity to access or receive criminal offender record information from the Department of Justice.

Each agency holding or receiving criminal offender record information in a computerized system shall maintain, for such period as is found by the Attorney General to be appropriate, a listing of the agencies to which it has released or communicated such information.

(a) The Attorney General may conduct inquiries and investigations as he or she finds appropriate to carry out functions under this article. The Attorney General may for this purpose direct any agency, including a tribal court or tribal child welfare agency of a tribe or consortium of tribes that has entered into an agreement with the state pursuant to Section 10553.1 of the Welfare and Institutions Code, that maintains, or has received, or that is eligible to maintain or receive criminal offender records to produce for inspection statistical data, reports, and other information concerning the storage and dissemination of criminal offender record information. Each agency is authorized and directed to provide that data, reports, and other information.
  (b) Notwithstanding any other law, any entity described in subdivision (a) that fails to comply with the requirements of this section shall lose access to criminal offender record information maintained by the Department of Justice until correction of the noncompliance is demonstrated.

Nothing in this article shall be construed to affect the right of access of any person or public agency to individual criminal offender record information that is authorized by any other provision of law.

A chief of police of a city or the sheriff of a county shall be authorized to request and receive relevant information concerning persons when on parole who are or may be residing or temporarily domiciled in that city or county and who have been convicted of a federal crime which could have been prosecuted as a felony under the penal provisions of this state.

Nothing in this article shall be construed to authorize access of any person or public agency to individual criminal offender record information unless such access is otherwise authorized by law.