Clark County municipal, juvenile courts to receive new digital fingerprinting devices from state

CCH records are used for criminal investigations, prosecutorial charges, sentencing decisions, correction supervision and release, background checks for firearms purchases or license, for anyone working with children and for older Ohioans and for those with disabilities, according to a release from the county.

“Clark County Juvenile Court is mandated to provide accurate and timely reporting of delinquent case information to the Bureau of Criminal Investigation (BCI) inclusion in the state’s computerized criminal history (CCH),” said Clark County Juvenile Court Judge Katrine Lancaster. “The award of the LiveScan Device will support the court in ensuring that the CCH is updated with the current case information to support accurate and comprehensive background checks. We are grateful for the award as fingerprinting delinquent youth at Clark County Juvenile Court with the LiveScan Device will allow for a more streamlined and accurate process of reporting to BCI.”

The Attorney General’s Office distributed more than 77 of these devices — costing around $12,000 each — to 42 Ohio counties, giving two to the Clark County Municipal Court and one to the Clark County Juvenile Court. One of the Municipal Court’s devices will be used in the probation department, according to the release.

The scanners will come online later this year. Only individuals who are arrested and processed in the Clark County Jail are currently being fingerprinted, according to the release. Sometimes, individuals who are summoned for arraignments are ordered to the jail within 24 hours to be processed and fingerprinted this is often not the case.

Fingerprinting is important to ensure that the disposition of each case against an individual is reported accurately,” said Clark County Municipal Court Judge Valerie J. Wilt. “Having accurate and complete information is vital to protect the public, and it is also vital to protect the interests of those who may be acquitted of criminal charges. We are thankful that our court will be receiving grant awards for two machines. One will enable the court to capture fingerprints at the initial appearance. The other will assist in capturing fingerprints for past cases where the defendant is serving a community control sentence.”