Attempts to reform the state’s Criminal Offender Record System (CORI) may be nearing success after more than four years of intensive grassroots education and organizing. As currently conceived, CORI places an essentially permanent mark on the lives of people who run afoul of the state’s legal system. In some communities, it is a burden upon the entire economy, creating unemployment and underemployment. CORI reform legislation stalled out at the end of the 2008 legislative session. But a coalition of groups called the Commonwealth CORI Coalition (CCC) have been pressing hard for action in 2009. Spearheading the effort is the Boston Workers Alliance (BWA), which has helped recruit over 55 House co-sponsors and 12 Senate co-sponsors for this legislation. The BWA urges everyone to speak to their legislators and ask them to act this year to provide relief from CORI. To get the latest news on CORI reform, visit www.BostonWorkersAlliance.org.