by MetNews Staff Writer - Metropolitan News

The Los Angeles Superior Court yesterday admitted to having failed to report the outcome of approximately 464,000 criminal matters dating back to the 1980s to the California Department of Justice due to alleged technical issues with a case management system, acknowledging that the error may have led to inaccurate and incomplete rap sheets for the affected individuals.

Saying that “individuals with an arrest record may not currently have their arrest outcome accurately reflected in their criminal history record,” the court admitted that “impacted individuals may see their criminal records updated” and “may…qualify for expungement or resentencing relief.”

In addition to implications in criminal cases, in which rap sheets are used to establish prior convictions for strikes and other sentencing enhancements as well as playing into filing decisions by prosecutors in determining whether to pursue felony or misdemeanor charges, the failure affects background checks relied upon by employers, public sector agencies, and landlords in selecting suitable candidates.