National Criminal History Improvement Program: Federal Grants Have Contributed to Progress

February 2004 National Criminal History Improvement Program: Federal Grants Have Contributed to Progress Public safety concerns require that criminal history records be accurate, complete, and accessible. Among other purposes, such records are used by the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) to ensure that prohibited persons do not purchase firearms. Initiated in 1995, the National Criminal History Improvement Program represents a partnership among federal, state, and local agencies to build a national criminal records infrastructure. Under the program, the Department of Justices Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) annually provides federal grants to states to . . .