Criminal Justice Records

Choose the record that answers your question

Criminal justice records are held in several systems. A criminal-history repository compiles reported events; a court file contains filings and orders in a prosecution; an arrest report describes an agency’s event; and a jail list describes custody. Start with the product you need and the jurisdiction that created it. A federal case index cannot replace a state history report, and a booking entry cannot establish the outcome of a charge.

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  For a court record, save the court, case number, defendant name, filing date and exact order wanted.
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  For police or jail material, preserve the agency, event date and incident, arrest or booking reference.
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  For a formal background requirement, ask the receiving organization which authorized service, fingerprint process and certification it accepts before ordering.

Obtain your own FBI history through its personal-review service

The FBI Identity History Summary is based on fingerprint submissions and may include the submitting agency, arrest date, charge and a disposition when reported. The personal-summary route is for reviewing, correcting or updating your own record, or obtaining a response that none is on file. It is not the employment or licensing check; those requirements should be directed to the responsible State Identification Bureau.

Request online through the FBI’s linked eDO service, by mail, or through an approved channeler. The FBI charge is $18 per person; fingerprint vendors and channelers may add charges. A waiver requires a claim and proof of indigence. Mail requests need a signed application, current fingerprints and payment; the FBI mailing address is CJIS Division–Summary Request, 1000 Custer Hollow Road, Clarksburg, WV 26306.

Published FBI processing estimates are within 48 hours after electronic fingerprints at a participating Post Office, about 10 days after receipt of a mailed fingerprint card for an online request, and up to 15 days for a mail request. Add postal delivery time. The FBI does not sell faster processing.

Use PACER for a federal prosecution and its documents

PACER requires an account. If the federal court is known, search that court directly; if it is unknown, use the nationwide PACER Case Locator. The direct-court information updates immediately, while the national index updates daily. Save the case number, court and docket entry number, then open the relevant judgment or dismissal rather than stopping at the case title. For information beyond the available docket and documents, contact the filing court.

PACER charges $0.10 per page. A document normally has a $3 cap, but search results, non-case-specific reports and transcripts are not covered by that cap. A search can incur a charge even when it finds no match. Quarterly charges of $30 or less are waived. Searching by a known case number and restricting docket dates can reduce unnecessary retrieval. Download the documents you need so repeated access does not create avoidable charges.

Take state and local questions to their own custodians

Use the FBI’s State Identification Bureau directory to locate the repository for the relevant state. It is a contact directory, not a combined public search of every state. Ask the repository which public, personal-review or authorized agency product fits your purpose, what identifiers it requires, and whether its response is certified. State-specific rules and charges apply; the FBI’s $18 fee is not a national price for every criminal-record service.

For a state prosecution, carry the court and case reference to that court’s clerk. Request the exact final order and specify ordinary or certified copies, the delivery format and any deadline. A repository response can help locate the case but does not replace its underlying judgment. If the history omits the disposition, do not fill that gap with an assumption that the charge ended in conviction.

Read arrest and jail information within its local coverage

Two local examples show why coverage matters. Broward Sheriff maintains an arrest-search service; keep the arrest reference for the event you review. Marin County’s booking log describes people booked within the last 48 hours who remain in custody and a complete current inmate list at search time. It cautions that a displayed bail amount may be approximate; exact Marin bail information is available at 415-473-6653.

A person absent from a current jail list may have been released or may never have been held at that facility. A person present on a list has a custody entry, not an automatic conviction. Record when the system was checked and seek the later court disposition separately. These examples are local services, not nationwide arrest-history coverage.

Check access and the recipient’s proof requirements

Public search access does not make every attachment public or make a screen print a certified record. Ask the holding court or agency about redaction, confidential or sealed material and any required authorization. A recipient may require a particular certification or delivery format; confirm that before paying. Do not substitute a private compiled result for a required government product simply because the names appear to match.

Correct the record at the source

For a mistake in your FBI summary, use the FBI’s correction route. Most state-origin changes must first be processed by that state’s identification bureau, which can provide updates to the FBI where applicable. Identify the disputed arrest or disposition and obtain supporting court documents. A change at one custodian does not prove that every other database or private report has updated; keep the corrected response and follow up with the separate record owner.