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Surveys

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surveysGiven SEARCH’s history as an organization that was originally founded to facilitate the exchange of criminal history record information (CHRI) between the States, we are uniquely positioned to conduct surveys on important CHRI issues.  SEARCH has conducted surveys on issues that impact how justice information is collected, maintained, and used—and has done so at the request of the Department of Justice, the States, partner organizations, and our Members.  Surveys are often conducted of the State central repositories of criminal history information, and sometimes of our own Membership Group—and other surveys have been conducted of the public. 

We provide these survey results as a resource to criminal justice practitioners and researchers. 

Survey of State Criminal History Information Systems

Since 1989, SEARCH has conducted a biennial national survey of state criminal history information systems, then collates and analyzes the results. 

The resulting report provides law- and policymakers, administrators, managers, academia, research institutions, and other agencies and individuals with the most comprehensive data available on record quantity and completeness, and on procedures used by repositories to collect information and maintain record quality. 

Recipients of the survey typically include U.S. Senators and members of the U.S. House of Representatives, state governors, state attorneys general, law schools and their libraries, public libraries, and public and private security entities—and this report is believed to be the most cited document produced by SEARCH. 

The biennial surveys now available are:

Additional Surveys

Karen Lissy

Ms. Karen Lissy is a Justice Information Services Specialist for the Law and Policy Program of SEARCH, The National Consortium for Justice Information and Statistics. In this position, she provides assistance to state and local justice and public safety agencies to collect, curate, and use National Incident-Based Reporting System (NIBRS) data and computerized criminal history record (CCH/CHRI) information for policy analysis and development.

She also guides justice and related organizations in how to craft and implement laws, policies, practices, and technology applications to effectively collect and use CCH and related justice/public safety data; address legal, policy, and regulatory issues associated with CCH data; better manage and operate criminal justice information and identification systems; and develop security and privacy policies that protect justice information sharing systems.

Ms. Lissy has nearly two decades of research and data analysis experience, having led projects and tasks in support of two agencies within the U.S. Department of Justice’s Office of Justice Programs (the Bureau of Justice Statistics and National Institute of Justice), as well as the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention, and multiple foundations, including Ford, Annie E. Casey, and Hewlett. Prior to joining SEARCH in October 2020, Ms. Lissy served as a Social Science Researcher at RTI International, as a regional Crime Analyst for the Redmond (WA) Police Department, and as Director of a research program with the Harvard Center for Risk Analysis. Beginning in 2012, Ms. Lissy’s work has focused on improving data in law enforcement to answer policy questions and improve community/police relations.

Ms. Lissy earned a Bachelor’s degree in Public Policy from Duke University, and a Master’s in Public Health from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

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