Key Government Sources of Criminal Records
The information that could be disclosed on a government-held criminal record or docket index includes the arrest record,
criminal charges, fines, sentencing, disposition, and incarceration information. Always keep these truths in mind:
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Criminal record access methods and fees vary widely from state-to-state and even from county-to-county.
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It is not all online. Some courts still use paper and other media forms.
The first step in criminal record searching is determining where to search. The two entry points below are organized by priority.
A criminal record case starts at one of the
6,000+ Courts located at the city, county, state, or federal level.
32 State Judicial Systems also maintain a centralized,
searchable statewide court record database.
Local and state courts forward case information to a
Centralized State Record Repository;
many of these locations are searchable by the public. Herein are these locations.
Agencies providing searchable
criminal record-related data to the public include:
State agencies holding
Incarceration Records or
Sexual Predator Records. Also, there are numerous federal agencies with online search capabilites for entities
listed on
Federal Sanctions and Federal Watch Lists. Find these resources here!