34 U.S.C. § 10231

Confidentiality of information

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(a) Research or statistical information; immunity from process; prohibition against admission as evidence or use in any proceedings

No officer or employee of the Federal Government, and no recipient of assistance under the provisions of this chapter shall use or reveal any research or statistical information furnished under any law to any component of the Office of Justice Programs, or furnished otherwise under this chapter, by any entity or person, including any information identifiable to any specific private person, for any purpose other than the purpose for which it was obtained in accordance with this chapter. Such information and copies thereof shall be immune from legal process, and shall not, without the consent of the entity or person furnishing such information or to whom such information pertains, be admitted as evidence or used for any purpose in any action, suit, or other judicial, legislative, or administrative proceedings.

(b) Criminal history information; disposition and arrest data; procedures for collection, storage, dissemination, and current status; security and privacy; availability for law enforcement, criminal justice, and other lawful purposes; automated systems: review, challenge, and correction of information

All criminal history information collected, stored, or disseminated through support under this chapter shall contain, to the maximum extent feasible, disposition as well as arrest data where arrest data is included therein. The collection, storage, and dissemination of such information shall take place under procedures reasonably designed to insure that all such information is kept current therein; the Office of Justice Programs shall assure that the security and privacy of all information is adequately provided for and that information shall only be used for law enforcement and criminal justice and other lawful purposes. In addition, an individual who believes that criminal history information concerning him contained in an automated system is inaccurate, incomplete, or maintained in violation of this chapter, shall, upon satisfactory verification of his identity, be entitled to review such information and to obtain a copy of it for the purpose of challenge or correction.

(c) Criminal intelligence systems and information; prohibition against violation of privacy and constitutional rights of individuals

All criminal intelligence systems operating through support under this chapter shall collect, maintain, and disseminate criminal intelligence information in conformance with policy standards which are prescribed by the Office of Justice Programs and which are written to assure that the funding and operation of these systems furthers the purpose of this chapter and to assure that such systems are not utilized in violation of the privacy and constitutional rights of individuals.

(d) Violations; fine as additional penalty

Any person violating the provisions of this section, or of any rule, regulation, or order issued thereunder, shall be fined not to exceed $10,000, in addition to any other penalty imposed by law.

(Pub. L. 90–351, title I, § 812, formerly § 818, as added Pub. L. 96–157, § 2, Dec. 27, 1979, 93 Stat. 1213; renumbered § 812 and amended Pub. L. 98–473, title II, § 609B(f), (k), Oct. 12, 1984, 98 Stat. 2093, 2096; Pub. L. 109–162, title XI, § 1115(c), Jan. 5, 2006, 119 Stat. 3104; Pub. L. 119–60, div. H, title LXXXII, § 8205(b)(1), Dec. 18, 2025, 139 Stat. 1849.)Editorial NotesCodification

Section was formerly classified to section 3789g of Title 42, The Public Health and Welfare, prior to editorial reclassification and renumbering as this section.

Prior Provisions

A prior section 812 of Pub. L. 90–351 was classified to section 3789a of Title 42, The Public Health and Welfare, prior to repeal by section 609B(e) of Pub. L. 98–473.

Amendments

2025—Subsec. (a). Pub. L. 119–60 substituted “furnished under any law to any component of the Office of Justice Programs, or furnished otherwise under this chapter, by any entity or person, including any information identifiable to any specific private person,” for “furnished under this chapter by any person and identifiable to any specific private person” in first sentence, and “entity or person furnishing such information or to whom such information pertains” for “person furnishing such information” in second sentence.

2006—Subsec. (a). Pub. L. 109–162 substituted “No” for “Except as provided by Federal law other than this chapter, no”.

1984—Subsecs. (b), (c). Pub. L. 98–473, 609B(k), substituted “Office of Justice Programs” for “Office of Justice Assistance, Research, and Statistics”.

Statutory Notes and Related SubsidiariesEffective Date of 2025 Amendment

Pub. L. 119–60, div. H, title LXXXII, § 8205(b)(2), Dec. 18, 2025, 139 Stat. 1849, provided that: “The amendments made by paragraph (1) [amending this section] shall—“(A) shall take effect for all purposes as if enacted on December 27, 1979; and“(B) apply to any matter pending, before the Department of Justice or otherwise, as of the date of enactment of this Act [Dec. 18, 2025].”

Effective Date of 1984 Amendment

Amendment by section 609B(k) of Pub. L. 98–473 effective Oct. 12, 1984, see section 609AA(a) of Pub. L. 98–473, set out as an Effective Date note under section 10101 of this title.

Construction

Terms “this chapter” and “this section”, as such terms appear in this section, deemed to be references to chapter 501 and section 50105 of this title, respectively, and reference to the Office of Justice Programs in this section deemed to be a reference to the Attorney General, see section 50105 of this title.

Notes of Decisions

Cited in 4 cases (3 in the last 5 years), 2019–2025 · leading case: Gannett Satellite Information Network, LLC v. U.S. Department of Justice

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Gannett Satellite Information Network, LLC v. U.S. Department of Justice (2023) dcd · cites it 3× “§ 552 (b)(3), to withhold the release of all those materials under the confidentiality provision of the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 (“Crime Control Act”), 34 U.S.C. § 10231 . As a result, the key question in this dispute, one of first impression in this…”

Andersen v. City of Chicago (2019) ilnd · cites it 2× “By its terms, the federal statute cited by the Board, 34 U.S.C. § 10231 , does not prevent the dissemination of the criminal record produced by the FBI (PRB 1) from disclosure in this case because Andersen’s criminal history information is not “research or statistical…”

Gannett Satellite Information Network, LLC v. U.S. Department of Justice (2025) dcd · cites it 2× “Defendant’s 2 position was rejected based on the determination that the requested information was furnished to BJS under the DCRA, rather than Title I of the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 (“Crime Control Act”), 34 U.S.C. § 10231 , and only the latter statute…”

Howarth v. Secretary, Department of Corrections (Orange County) (2024) flmd “Finally, Petitioner cites 34 U.S.C. § 10231 (b), (Dkt. 1 at 1), and asserts that the Orlando Police Department “publicly decla[re]s that .”

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