Find Illinois Criminal Cases, Conviction Records & Public Records
Illinois does not operate one public website that contains every criminal case, arrest, conviction, jail booking and prison record. Trial-court cases are maintained by the 102 county Circuit Clerks; statewide criminal-history information is maintained by the Illinois State Police Bureau of Identification; jail and arrest records are commonly held by county sheriffs or local police; and state prison information is maintained by the Illinois Department of Corrections. This guide shows which official system to use and how to verify what a search result actually means.
Which Illinois criminal record should you search?
The fastest way to find useful information is to start with the record type rather than typing a person’s name into random background-check websites.
Criminal court case
Use for charges filed in court, case numbers, court dates, docket history, dispositions, judgments and qualifying court documents.
State criminal history
BOI is Illinois’ central repository for criminal-history information and provides public conviction-history searches and fingerprint-based services.
Arrest or incident record
Arrest reports, police incident records, booking records and investigative material generally originate with local law enforcement.
Current local custody
County sheriffs commonly maintain jail rosters or inmate locators separately from court records.
State prison / parole
Use IDOC for people currently in Illinois correctional custody and qualifying parole information.
Federal criminal case
Federal prosecutions are not Illinois Circuit Court cases. Use PACER and the appropriate federal district court.
How to search Illinois criminal court cases
Illinois criminal trial cases are handled by the state’s Circuit Courts. Unlike some states, Illinois does not currently provide one universal public name-search page that replaces all 102 county Circuit Clerk systems.
For information about a pending or historical trial-court case, identify the county where the criminal case was filed and then use that county’s official Circuit Clerk.
Identify the county
Start with the county where the arrest, prosecution or court proceeding occurred.
Find the official Circuit Clerk
Use the Illinois Courts statewide Circuit Clerk directory rather than searching for an unofficial “Illinois criminal records” portal.
Open the county’s public case search
Search options differ by county. A case number is usually the strongest identifier; name searches can require additional identity checks.
Review each charge and docket event
Read beyond the original complaint. Charges can be amended, dismissed, reduced or resolved separately.
Locate the final disposition
Determine whether the charge ended in conviction, acquittal, dismissal, supervision or another court disposition.
Contact the clerk when online information is incomplete
Older documents, certified copies and records excluded from ordinary remote access may require direct Circuit Clerk assistance.
Why the county Circuit Clerk matters
Illinois Circuit Clerks maintain the official trial-court record for their counties. The statewide directory includes the clerk, courthouse address and contact information for every Illinois county.
This means a Cook County case, Lake County case, St. Clair County case and Sangamon County case may each use different public-search interfaces even though all are part of the Illinois court system.
Illinois Court Help can also assist users who are unsure how to navigate the state court system. The statewide help line is 833-411-1121.
How to read an Illinois criminal case correctly
| Case item | What it generally means | What to verify |
|---|---|---|
| Charge | The criminal allegation filed with the court. | A charge is not a conviction. |
| Docket entry | A filing, hearing, order or other procedural event. | Read later entries for changes or final resolution. |
| Case status | Whether the case is open, closed or in another status. | Status alone may not explain each count. |
| Disposition | How a charge or proceeding was resolved. | Look for conviction, dismissal, acquittal, supervision or amendment. |
| Sentence | Court-ordered consequences after a qualifying disposition. | Review incarceration, probation, fines and other terms separately. |
| Case number | The official court identifier. | Save it for clerk requests, certified copies and appeals. |
How to obtain Illinois criminal court documents
Online case summaries do not always provide every underlying document. If you need a complaint, judgment, sentencing order, disposition, certified copy or older file, contact the Circuit Clerk in the county where the case was filed.
Ask the clerk about:
- online document availability
- in-person inspection
- paper or electronic copies
- certified copies
- archived or stored records
- copy and certification fees
- sealed or impounded record restrictions
- local request forms
Illinois appellate and Supreme Court criminal records
Criminal cases that move beyond the Circuit Court can appear in the Illinois Appellate Court or Illinois Supreme Court.
Since May 1, 2025, Illinois has provided free remote public access through re:SearchIL to qualifying non-confidential documents in reviewing-court cases filed on or after April 1, 2025.
Illinois’ reviewing courts include:
- Illinois Supreme Court
- First Appellate District
- Second Appellate District
- Third Appellate District
- Fourth Appellate District
- Fifth Appellate District
Illinois arrest, police and booking records
Arrest and booking records are not maintained by the Circuit Clerk in the same way as the criminal court case. The arresting police department, county sheriff or other law-enforcement agency is usually the starting point.
Arrest report
Request from the law-enforcement agency that made or documented the arrest.
Booking / custody
Check the county sheriff or local corrections agency for current jail custody.
Court outcome
Once charges are filed, use the court case to determine the final disposition.
Illinois FOIA and criminal-justice records
Illinois Freedom of Information Act requests can be useful for qualifying police and government records, but FOIA does not replace the ordinary criminal-history or court-record systems.
Illinois State Police specifically directs users to existing online services for records such as criminal-background information, sex-offender registry data and other records already reasonably available online.
When requesting law-enforcement records, provide details such as:
- case or report number
- incident location
- names of involved persons
- date of birth when relevant
- specific date range
- clear description of the records requested
Illinois State Police criminal-history records
The Illinois State Police Bureau of Identification (BOI) serves as the state’s central repository for criminal-history information.
Under the Illinois Uniform Conviction Information Act (UCIA), conviction information collected and maintained by ISP is available to the public through the state’s criminal-history search procedures.
Name-based Illinois criminal-history searches
Illinois State Police provides name-based public criminal-history searches through its Criminal History Information Response Process (CHIRP).
Submit the name-based search
Use ISP’s current CHIRP process and enter the required identifying information.
Save the TCN
ISP instructs users to keep the Transaction Control Number generated for the search.
Return to CHIRP for the result
Enter the TCN to retrieve the completed name-based response.
Verify any match with the underlying court
If the result identifies a conviction, locate the related Circuit Court record for disposition details when necessary.
Fingerprint-based Illinois criminal-history checks
Illinois State Police requires in-state fingerprint transactions to be submitted electronically through a licensed Live Scan fingerprint vendor.
If fingerprints are required for employment, licensing or another statutory purpose, get the correct instructions from the requesting organization before visiting a vendor. Different programs can require:
- Illinois-only search
- FBI-only search
- combined Illinois and FBI search
- a specific statutory purpose code
Illinois State Police criminal-history fees
The following ISP processing fees are current as of September 2026.
| Request | Manual / paper | Electronic / Live Scan |
|---|---|---|
| UCIA name-based inquiry | $16 | $10 |
| UCIA fingerprint inquiry | $20 | $15 |
| State-only fee applicant | $20 | $15 |
| FBI-only fee applicant | $12 through September 30, 2026 | $12 through September 30, 2026 |
| State + FBI fee applicant | $32 through September 30, 2026 | $27 through September 30, 2026 |
| Access & Review / Record Challenge | No ISP processing fee; fingerprint provider may charge separately. | |
Live Scan vendors can charge their own service or fingerprinting fee in addition to ISP processing charges.
How to get your own Illinois criminal-history record
If you want to know what Illinois State Police maintains about you, use the Access and Review procedure rather than an ordinary public name-based conviction search.
Visit a fingerprinting provider
You may use an Illinois law-enforcement or correctional facility that offers the service, or a licensed fingerprint vendor.
Submit fingerprints and identification information
The facility or vendor forwards your fingerprint submission to Illinois State Police.
Receive your transcript
ISP mails your criminal-history transcript or a statement that no Illinois criminal history was found.
Use the Record Challenge form if needed
The Access and Review packet includes the procedure for disputing incorrect criminal-history information.
How to correct an inaccurate Illinois criminal record
A criminal-history error can come from several places: incorrect identity matching, an incomplete arrest disposition, incorrect court data or a mistake made by a private background-screening company.
Obtain your ISP transcript
Use Access and Review so the record is fingerprint-linked to you.
Identify the incorrect entry
Note the arresting agency, date, court case number and missing or incorrect disposition.
Get the underlying court record
Request the final disposition, dismissal, acquittal or other official documentation from the appropriate Circuit Clerk.
Submit the challenge
Follow ISP’s Record Challenge instructions and provide supporting documentation where required.
Illinois prison and parole records
The Illinois Department of Corrections Individual in Custody Search is the statewide source for publicly available information about people in Illinois correctional custody.
IDOC says releasable information may include:
- name
- IDOC number
- parent institution
- current location or status
- basic identifying statistics
- admission dates
- release dates
- sentencing information
Illinois sex-offender and related registry records
Illinois State Police maintains public offender-registration resources separately from ordinary criminal-history searches.
The Illinois Sex Offender Registry can be used to search qualifying public registration information. IDOC also provides links to offender-information resources including parolee sex-registrant information.
Illinois expungement and sealing
Illinois distinguishes between expungement and sealing. Eligibility depends on the arrest or case outcome, conviction, sentence and other statutory factors.
Illinois Courts released revised statewide adult expungement and sealing forms in 2026. Every Illinois court must accept the approved statewide forms.
Collect your criminal cases
Obtain case numbers and dispositions from each applicable Circuit Clerk.
Review your statewide ISP transcript
Access and Review can help identify arrests or cases you may have forgotten.
Determine expungement vs. sealing eligibility
Dismissals, acquittals, supervision and convictions are treated differently.
Use the current Illinois forms
Illinois Courts provides both downloadable forms and a free guided Easy Form.
File in the appropriate county
The petition is filed through the Circuit Court associated with the arrest or case, following current local filing procedures.
Keep the final order
Retain a copy of any expungement or sealing order for future background-report disputes.
Illinois juvenile criminal records
Juvenile court and law-enforcement records do not follow the same public-access rules as ordinary adult criminal cases.
Illinois Courts maintains a separate juvenile expungement forms suite, updated in 2026. Confidential juvenile matters are also excluded from ordinary public reviewing-court access.
Federal criminal cases in Illinois
Federal criminal prosecutions are not part of the Illinois Circuit Court system. Illinois is divided among federal districts, including the Northern, Central and Southern Districts.
Search federal criminal case information through PACER.
Illinois State Police Bureau of Identification office
BOI’s criminal-history facility is located in Joliet. The facility is restricted-access, so do not assume you can simply walk inside for a background check.
Bureau of Identification
260 North Chicago Street
Joliet, IL 60432
Customer Support: 815-740-5160
Appointment required
BOI states that the facility is restricted-access and appointments are required to enter.
Appointment availability is generally Monday-Friday, 8:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m.
Illinois criminal-record search tips
Start with the county
Illinois trial-court searches are county-centered. Identifying the county dramatically narrows the search.
Save the case number
It is the easiest identifier to use when ordering documents or contacting the clerk.
Read every disposition
Multi-count criminal cases can have different outcomes for different charges.
Use ISP for statewide conviction history
A single county court search cannot substitute for statewide criminal-history research.
Use fingerprints for your own record
Access and Review is better suited to checking your complete Illinois transcript than a public name search.
Don’t confuse jail and prison
County sheriffs handle local custody; IDOC handles state correctional custody.
Check the arresting agency for police reports
A Circuit Clerk normally does not replace the agency that created the incident or arrest report.
Appeal? Check reviewing courts
A completed trial-court case may have additional appellate history and opinions.
Federal means PACER
Federal prosecutions are separate from Illinois state and county court systems.
Illinois criminal records: frequently asked questions
1. Is there one statewide Illinois website for every criminal court case?
No. Illinois trial-court criminal cases are maintained by county Circuit Clerks. Use the Illinois Courts Circuit Clerk directory to identify the official county source.
2. Where can I get statewide Illinois criminal-history information?
Use the Illinois State Police Bureau of Identification. Public conviction information is available through Illinois’ Uniform Conviction Information Act processes.
3. How much is an Illinois name-based criminal-history search?
Illinois State Police currently lists UCIA name-based searches at $16 for manual/paper inquiries and $10 for electronic inquiries.
4. How much is an Illinois fingerprint criminal-history search?
ISP currently lists UCIA fingerprint inquiries at $20 for a manual fingerprint card or $15 for an electronic submission. Vendor fingerprinting fees can be additional.
5. How do I see my own Illinois criminal record?
Use Illinois State Police Access and Review. The process is fingerprint-based and provides your Illinois criminal-history transcript or confirmation that no Illinois history was located.
6. Does Illinois State Police charge for Access and Review?
ISP currently charges no processing fee for Access and Review or Record Challenge. The fingerprinting provider may charge its own service fee.
7. Where can I find an Illinois state prisoner?
Use the Illinois Department of Corrections Individual in Custody Search. County-jail detainees may instead need to be searched through the applicable county sheriff.
8. Can an Illinois criminal record be expunged or sealed?
Some arrests, cases and convictions can qualify for expungement or sealing depending on the disposition, offense and sentence. Illinois Courts provides statewide approved forms that all Illinois courts must accept.
9. Why can’t I find an Illinois criminal case online?
The case may be filed in another county, under a different name, too old for the local online system, sealed, expunged, impounded, confidential, juvenile or federal. Contact the appropriate Circuit Clerk when online access is incomplete.
10. Do Illinois criminal court searches include federal cases?
No. Federal prosecutions are maintained by the federal judiciary and should be searched through PACER.
Official Illinois criminal-record sources
- Illinois Courts — Circuit Court Clerk Directory
- Illinois Courts — Circuit Court
- Illinois Courts — Electronic Services / re:SearchIL
- Illinois State Police — Criminal History
- Illinois State Police — Bureau of Identification
- Illinois State Police — Fingerprint Background Checks
- Illinois State Police — Access & Review / Record Challenge
- Illinois Department of Corrections — Individual in Custody Search
- Illinois State Police — Sex Offender Registry
- Illinois Courts — Expungement & Sealing
- Illinois State Police — FOIA
- PACER — Federal Court Records