The state of west virginia, through the division of administrative services, justice and community services, will implement the west virginia criminal history and national instant criminal…

The Department of Justice Office of Justice Programs Bureau of Justice Statistics awarded a $1.851 million cooperative agreement to Go33 Justice & Community Services on October 1, 2026, under the NICS Act Record Improvement Program (CFDA 16.813) to implement the West Virginia Criminal History and National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) Record Improvement Initiative.

Go33 Justice & Community Services, the Justice and Community Services Division of the West Virginia Division of Administrative Services and the State Administrative Agency (SAA) for criminal justice programs, will lead efforts jointly with the West Virginia State Police and the Supreme Court of Appeals to strengthen the quality, accuracy, and accessibility of criminal history and prohibiting records statewide across West Virginia's 55 counties. Project activities include improving real-time synchronization of criminal history records with national systems, enhancing electronic exchange of court dispositions, supporting statewide criminal history repository improvements, strengthening data quality within the Unified Judicial Application, and maintaining and validating records within the Central State Mental Health Registry to ensure accurate and timely submissions to NICS. Expected outcomes include improved criminal history record accuracy, reduced reporting delays, increased automation and interoperability among justice systems, and more reliable records for state and national background checks, benefiting criminal justice agencies, courts, law enforcement, and authorized background check users in firearm eligibility determinations and other public safety decisions.

The award runs through September 30, 2027, with place of performance in Charleston, West Virginia.

The state of west virginia, through the division of administrative services, justice and community services, will implement the west virginia criminal history and national instant criminal background check system (nics) record improvement initiative to strengthen the quality, accuracy, and accessibility of criminal history and prohibiting records used for background checks statewide. The project will support efforts led by the west virginia state police (wvsp) and the supreme court of appeals (SCA) of west virginia to improve the collection, reporting, and sharing of criminal justice information across west virginias 55 counties. Project activities include improving real-time synchronization of criminal history records with national systems, enhancing the electronic exchange of court dispositions, supporting statewide criminal history repository improvements, and strengthening data quality within the unified judicial application. The project will also support efforts to maintain and validate records within the central state mental health registry to ensure accurate and timely submissions to the nics. The initiative is intended to benefit criminal justice agencies, courts, law enforcement, and authorized background check users by improving the completeness and timeliness of records used to determine firearm eligibility and other public safety decisions. Expected outcomes include improved criminal history record accuracy, reduced reporting delays, increased automation and interoperability among justice systems, and more reliable records available for state and national background checks.