2025 Session Last amended: 2012 session

§ 13.87 — Criminal Justice Data

Plain-Language Summary

This section classifies criminal justice data. Criminal history data kept by the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension and other agencies is private, except that conviction information (the person, the offense, court disposition, sentence, controlling agency, and confinement) is public for 15 years after the sentence is discharged, and the BCA must let the public view that conviction data in person at its central office at no charge. Data on firearm purchases, transfers, and carry-permit applications is private, and the BCA maintains a public website of criminal history data that may charge a limited fee and must carry specified notices. The section also classifies the BCA's name and event index service (private, becoming confidential when it links to confidential data) and lets parole and county probation authorities access firearms data on people they supervise.

Practical Notes
Most criminal history records are private, but conviction details are public for 15 years after the sentence is discharged, and the BCA runs a public website and in-person viewing for that public data. Firearm purchase, transfer, and carry-permit records are private. The name and event index service that links records across criminal justice agencies and the courts is private, becoming confidential when it ties in confidential data, without changing how the underlying linked records are classified.