(a) Criminal justice information and the identity of recipients of criminal justice information are confidential and exempt from disclosure under AS 40.25. The existence or nonexistence of criminal justice information may not be released to or confirmed to any person except as provided in this section and AS 12.62.180(d).
(b) Subject to the requirements of this section, and except as otherwise limited or prohibited by other provision of law or court rule, criminal justice information
(1) may be provided to a person when, and only to the extent, necessary to avoid imminent danger to life or extensive damage to property;
(2) may be provided to a person to the extent required by applicable court rules or under an order of a court of this state, another state, or the United States;
(3) may be provided to a person if the information is commonly or traditionally provided by criminal justice agencies in order to identify, locate, or apprehend fugitives or wanted persons or to recover stolen property, or for public reporting of recent arrests, charges, and other criminal justice activity;
(4) may be provided to a criminal justice agency for a criminal justice activity;
(5) may be provided to a government agency when necessary for enforcement of or for a purpose specifically authorized by state or federal law;
(6) may be provided to a person specifically authorized by a state or federal law to receive that information;
(7) in aggregate form may be released to a qualified person, as determined by the agency, for criminal justice research, subject to written conditions that assure the security of the information and the privacy of individuals to whom the information relates;
(8) may be provided to a person for any purpose, except that information may not be released if the information is nonconviction information or correctional treatment information;
(9) including information relating to a serious offense, may be provided to an interested person if the information is requested for the purpose of determining whether to grant a person supervisory or disciplinary power over a minor or dependent adult; and
(10) may be provided to the person who is the subject of the information.
(c) Unless otherwise provided for in regulations adopted by the commissioner, if access to criminal justice information is permitted under (b) of this section
(1) the information may be released only by the agency maintaining that information;
(2) the information may not be released under this section without first determining that the information is the most current information available within that criminal justice information system, unless the system is incapable of providing the most current information available within the necessary time period;
(3) the information may not be released under this section until the person requesting the information establishes the identity of the subject of the information by fingerprint comparison or another reliable means of identification approved by the department;
(4) the information may not be released under this section unless the criminal justice agency releasing the information records, and maintains for at least three years, the name of the person or agency that is to receive the information, the date the information was released, the nature of the information, and the statutory authority that permits the release; and
(5) information released under this section may be used only for the purpose or activity for which the information was released.
(d) Notwithstanding AS 40.25, a criminal justice agency may charge fees, established by regulation or municipal ordinance, for processing requests for records under this chapter, unless the request is from a criminal justice agency or is required for purposes of discovery in a criminal case. In addition to fees charged under AS 44.41.025 for processing fingerprints through the Alaska automated fingerprint system, the department may charge fees for other services in connection with the processing of information requests, including fees for contacting other jurisdictions to determine the disposition of an out-of-state arrest or to clarify the nature of an out-of-state conviction. The department may also collect and account for fees charged by the Federal Bureau of Investigation for processing fingerprints forwarded to the bureau by the department. The annual estimated balance in the account maintained by the commissioner of administration under AS 37.05.142 may be used by the legislature to make appropriations to the department to carry out the purposes of this chapter.
(e) When an interested person requests information under (b)(9) of this section, the department may also obtain a national criminal history record check under AS 12.62.400 if the person submits the fingerprints and fees required for that check under (d) of this section.