Accurate and complete criminal history information is essential to informed decision-making across the justice system. Yet data gaps can make it difficult for judges, court staff, and justice system partners to access the information they need, when they need it.

A 2022 Bureau of Justice Statistics survey found that 27% of arrests nationwide lack corresponding disposition information. Missing or inconsistent information can create challenges for justice system partners, result in additional and unnecessary work for court staff, and ultimately impact the communities’ courts serve. The National Open Court Data Standards (NODS) can help courts address these challenges. While NODS was not originally developed to improve criminal history reporting, its standardized definitions and common data framework provide a foundation for more consistent, reliable data exchange.

A new report from NCSC and SEARCH, “Advancing Criminal History Reporting Through NODS Implementation, Findings, and Recommendations,” examines how courts can potentially use NODS to strengthen criminal history reporting.

Supported by the Bureau of Justice Statistics, Office of Justice Programs, U.S. Department of Justice, the project’s surveys and focus groups identified adopting NODS data elements as an opportunity to strengthen data quality, increase record completeness, and improve the ability to match individuals across systems.

Read the full NCSC article here: Improving criminal history reporting with data standards | National Center for State Courts