National criminal history improvement program, 2002. (Bulletin Reports).

The U.S. Department of Justice announced that it is awarding over $36 million to the 50 states, District of Columbia, and three territories to improve the quality and accessibility of the nation's s criminal history record systems. States can use the funds for a variety of purposes, including to strengthen their criminal record systems to support the nation's efforts to reduce crime and fight terrorism.

Funding, which is approved under the U.S. Department of Justice's National Criminal History Improvement Program (NCHIP), is administered by the Office of Justice Programs' (OJP) Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS). The goal of NCHIP is to improve the nation's public safety by enhancing and upgrading the nation's criminal history records, which are used for background checks for firearms purchases, criminal sentencing, and employment in sensitive jobs. Since the program was initiated in 1995, the U.S. Department of Justice has awarded nearly $391 million to the states and territories, which has led to a 23 percent increase in the number of criminal history records held nationwide and a 40 percent increase in the number of automated records available to law enforcement.

A list of projects undertaken by states with previous NCHIP awards is contained on the OJP Web site at http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/nchip.htm. Additional information about BJS, NCHIP, or other OJP programs can be found on the OJP Web site at http ://www.ojp.usdoj.gov.