The supreme court of appeals of west virginia proposes to implement a statewide criminal history record improvement initiative to improve the accuracy, completeness, automation, and accessibility of…

The Department of Justice Office of Justice Programs Bureau of Justice Statistics awarded the West Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals a $2.410 million cooperative agreement on October 1, 2026, under the National Criminal History Improvement Program (NCHIP, CFDA 16.554) to implement a statewide criminal history record improvement initiative serving all 55 counties in West Virginia.

The recipient will maintain and enhance the centralized state mental health registry to support timely submission of qualifying mental health adjudications and commitments to national systems; provide statewide training and technical assistance to court and justice system personnel; research and submit at least 20,000 missing criminal dispositions; improve automation and electronic transmission of court records to state and federal repositories; and purchase LiveScan fingerprint devices to strengthen fingerprint-supported reporting and arrest-to-disposition matching. The initiative will also convert more than 100,000 legacy criminal case files into searchable electronic records to improve access to felony dispositions and related court documents while protecting sensitive information through document redaction services.

The project strengthens reporting to the National Instant Criminal Background Check System, the Interstate Identification Index, and the National Crime Information Center to better identify individuals prohibited from possessing firearms or holding positions involving children, elderly persons, or individuals with disabilities. Performance occurs in Charleston, West Virginia, with period of performance from October 1, 2026, through March 31, 2028.

The supreme court of appeals of west virginia proposes to implement a statewide criminal history record improvement initiative to improve the accuracy, completeness, automation, and accessibility of criminal history and prohibiting records used for national background checks. The project will strengthen reporting to the national instant criminal background check system, the interstate identification index, and the national crime information center to better identify individuals prohibited from possessing firearms or holding positions involving children, elderly persons, or individuals with disabilities. The initiative will serve all 55 counties in west virginia and benefit courts, law enforcement agencies, criminal justice partners, national background check systems, and the public. Project activities include maintaining and enhancing the centralized state mental health registry to support timely submission of qualifying mental health adjudications and commitments to national systems; providing statewide training and technical assistance to court and justice system personnel; researching and submitting at least 20,000 missing criminal dispositions; improving automation and electronic transmission of court records to state and federal repositories; and purchasing livescan fingerprint devices to strengthen fingerprint supported reporting and arrest to disposition matching. The project will also convert more than 100,000 legacy criminal case files into searchable electronic records to improve access to felony dispositions and related court documents while protecting sensitive information through document redaction services. Expected outcomes include increased availability of prohibiting records in national systems, reduced disposition backlogs, improved record quality and data sharing, continued compliance with the FBI standards, and stronger public safety through more complete and reliable background check systems statewide and nationally.