How Do I ...?

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How do I get a copy of my CORI?

To get a copy of your Massachusetts CORI (Criminal Offender Record Information), you must send a Personal CORI Request Form to the Criminal History Systems Board (CHSB). The CHSB is the agency in charge of CORI services for Massachusetts.

You can call the CHSB at 617-660-4600 and ask them to send you a copy of the form, or you can download the form from the CHSB web site: Personal CORI Request Form. For out-of-state criminal records, you must contact the state directly.

For instructions and more information, see How do I get a copy of my CORI report?

How do I get a copy of my birth certificate or other vital records?

For copies of Massachusetts birth certificates, death records, and marriage licenses, you can contact the city or town clerk where the event took place, or you can contact the Massachusetts Registry of Vital Records and Statistics:

• Massachusetts City and Town Information
  Click on the city/town link, then look for City/Town Clerk under "Helpful Telephone Numbers," or click on the Official Home Page and look for the City/Town Clerk under Departments. Some city/town web sites include information about how to get copies of birth certificates and other records.

  For birth certificates, contact the city/town where the birth occurred, or the city/town where the parents lived at the time of the birth. For death records, contact the city/town where the death occurred, or the last residence of the deceased person. For marriage records, contact the city/town where the marriage license was obtained.

  Note: Getting a certified copy of a record from the city/town clerk is less expensive than getting it from the state Registry of Vital Records.

• Registry of Vital Records and Statistics
  150 Mount Vernon Street, 1st Floor
  Dorchester, MA 02125-3105
  Telephone: 617-740-2600

  The Registry of Vital Records issues certified copies of birth, death, and marriage records. Access to some records is restricted by law, and photo identification may be required. You must pay a fee for each record that you request.

  You can request copies of records:

  • at the Registry office
  • via the Internet
  • by telephone
  • by fax
  • or by mail

  See Obtaining Certified Copies of Vital Records for ordering instructions and fees. The fees vary depending on how you order.

For divorce records, contact the Register of the Probate Court where the divorce was filed. See Probate Courts by County.

For records from other states, you must contact the state where the record was filed. See Where to Write for Vital Records on the National Center for Health Statistics web site, or you can order records online from VitalChek, an official service provider for government records.

How do I get a driver's license?

To replace a lost license:

To renew an expired license:

To reinstate a suspended or revoked license:

To get a new license:

More information:

For more information about Massachusetts driver's licenses, visit the Registry of Motor Vehicles web site:

• Driver's Manual: Chapter 1 Obtaining Your License (PDF); Chapter 2 Keeping Your License (PDF)
• License and ID
• RMV Online Transactions
• Branch Information and Wait Times
• Telephone Center
• License Fees

If you need help with identification documents, contact your Regional Reentry Center.

How do I get a Massachusetts ID card?

If you do not have a driver's license, you can get a Massachusetts ID card if you are under 21, or a Massachusetts Liquor ID card if you are 21 or older, at any Massachusetts Registry of Motor Vehicles (RMV) office. Massachusetts ID cards are official proof of identity, age, and signature.

To get a Massachusetts ID card, you must bring your Social Security card or valid passport, plus proof of Massachusetts residency, proof of date of birth, and proof of signature. You must bring original documents, not copies.

For RMV office locations, see RMV Branch Information and Wait Times.

For a list of proofs that are accepted by the RMV, see What Identification Do I Need To Bring to the Registry? (PDF) or Acceptable Identification Documents (PDF) on the RMV web site.

If you need help with identification documents, contact your Regional Reentry Center.

How do I replace a lost Social Security card?

If you lost your Social Security card, you must apply for a replacement card using Form SS-5, Application for a Social Security Card. You can get this form from any Social Security office, or you can download the form from the Social Security web site:

• Form SS-5 Application for a Social Security Card (PDF)

Replacement cards are free.

For complete instructions, see Application for a Social Security Card and New Rules for Getting a Social Security Number and Card.

How do I get help with child support payments?

If you are a Massachusetts inmate or ex-offender with little or no income, you can ask the courts to modify your child support payments. If your request is approved, your payments may be reduced to a minimum payment of $50 to $80 per month until you are released or find a job. This reduction in payments will help prevent child support arrearages that could result in a suspension of your driver's license or other penalties.

To request a modification of your child support payments if you have been released from prison:

• You must fill out a Complaint for Modification form, and send it along with a Financial Statement and other required documents to the Department of Revenue Child Support Enforcement Division (DOR/CSE).
   
• For forms, addresses, and instructions, see Modify Your Court Order on the DOR web site.
   
• The DOR will file your form with the court, give legal notice to the other parent, and schedule a court hearing.
   
• You must attend the court hearing. You may have a lawyer represent you or you may represent yourself. If you need legal help, see Legal Services.
   
• The court will make a decision based on the information you provide and the Massachusetts Child Support Guidelines.

To request a modification of your child support payments if you are incarcerated:

• If you are within 12 months of release, you should send a Complaint for Modification to the DOR (see above). The DOR will file the form with the court and give legal notice to the other parent, but you will not have a court hearing until you are out of prison. You must call the DOR Customer Service Bureau at 1-800-332-2733 when you are within 60 days of release to schedule a hearing.

  Note: If the court reduces your child support payments, they can make the effective date retroactive to the date the other parent was given legal notice of your complaint.

• If you won't be released for 12 months or more, you should call the DOR Customer Service Bureau at 1-800-332-2733 for special instructions. Your request will be heard by the court while you are incarcerated, and you will participate either by affidavit or videoconference.

If you owe child support arrears to the state because the state made public assistance payments to support your children while you were in prison or unemployed, you can ask the Department of Revenue Child Support Division to adjust or settle those debts:

• The DOR may reduce or forgive the debts, but is not obligated to do so.

• You must submit a request for an adjustment of arrearages in writing to the DOR, along with a Financial Statement and other required documents. You should call the DOR Customer Service Bureau at 1-800-332-2733 for instructions.

• You may be required to meet certain conditions as part of the DOR agreement. For example, you may be required to take part in a job training program, or attend a responsible parenthood program.

• For more information, see 830 CMR 119A.6.2: Settlement or Equitable Adjustment of Child Support Arrearages Owed to the Commonwealth.

How do I vote?

Massachusetts law allows prisoners to vote, except for prisoners who are incarcerated because of a felony conviction (M.G.L.-Chapter 51, Section 1):

• Massachusetts inmates not in prison because of felony convictions, who are U.S.citizens and will be age 18 or older on election day, can vote by absentee ballot in the city or town where they are registered to vote, or where they lived before going to prison.
   
• Massachusetts inmates are "specially qualified voters" who can vote even if they have not registered, as long as they are not in prison for a felony conviction.
   
• See How to Apply for an Absentee Ballot for an absentee ballot application and instructions.
   
• Massachusetts inmates in prison because of felony convictions automatically have their voting rights restored when they are released.

Voter registration:

If you are an ex-offender who registered to vote before going to prison, you should check with your city or town office to make sure you are still registered. If you have moved, you should re-register at your new address.

If you are not already registered, you can register by mail or in person:

• You can get a mail-in voter registration form by calling 1-800-462-VOTE or by downloading the National Mail Voter Registration Form and sending it to your local city or town election office.

• You can register in person at your city or town election office, or at any other voter registration location in Massachusetts.

• If you are homeless living in a shelter or on the street, you can still register to vote. You can use the shelter address or you can draw a diagram showing where you are living on the street. You must also provide a mailing address.

Voter registration is free. You must show identification with your name and address either when you register to vote, or when you vote for the first time in a federal election.

For more information, see How to Register to Vote in Massachusetts on the Elections Division web site.

How can I get a phone number if I am homeless or in transition?

If you are homeless, in transition, or in crisis, and don't have a permanent phone number, you can get a free personal voice mail phone number from the Community Voice Mail (CVM) program. You can give this personal phone number to landlords, employers, service providers, family members, and anyone else who needs to reach you.

When you start your Community Voice Mail service, you record a brief personal greeting. People who call your personal phone number hear your greeting and can leave messages for you. Callers cannot tell that your phone number or message is from a CVM service. You can check your messages at any time by calling a toll-free number and entering your password from any touch-tone phone.

Community Voice Mail is a free service for anyone who needs a phone number and cannot afford regular phone service. In most cases, you can keep your CVM phone number for as long as you need it.

To sign up for Community Voice Mail, call or e-mail Heading Home, a homelessness agency that provides CVM service to many Massachusetts communities. For contact information, see CVM Sites: Heading Home or call Heading Home at 617-349-6332.

For more information about CVM service, see Community Voice Mail.

Note: If you are getting help from a public assistance program and you have an address where you can get mail, you may be eligible for a free cell phone and minutes from SafeLink Wireless. See What is SafeLink?

Other questions?

If you have other "How do I ...?" questions important to ex-offenders that you would like us to answer on the MassResources.org web site, please use this link to send us an e-mail: . If your question is of general interest to ex-offenders living in Massachusetts, we will post an answer on this page.

How Do I ...? for Ex-Offenders last updated on 9/16/09