U.S. public criminal-record research
Start with where the case would have been filed
There is no single public U.S. government database where you can type someone’s name and reliably see every arrest, prosecution and conviction from every state, county and federal court. Criminal records are spread across state courts, county courts, state criminal-history repositories, sheriffs, corrections departments and the federal judiciary. The easiest way to get an accurate answer is to identify the likely jurisdiction first and then work through the official record systems.
Best starting point:
identify the state and county where the person lived or where the possible offense occurred,
then search that jurisdiction’s official court records. Follow with the state’s criminal-history
repository, local jail or corrections records, and PACER if a federal case is possible.
Always read the final court disposition instead of treating an arrest or charge as a conviction.
Find court cases
Charges, dockets, hearings and dispositions.
Start with courts →
Check state history
Find the state’s official criminal-history repository.
State records →
Recent arrest or jail
Use the county sheriff, jail or arresting agency.
Local records →
Federal criminal case
Search federal court records through PACER.
Federal cases →
Verify the person
A matching name alone is not enough.
Avoid false matches →
Gather enough information to distinguish the right person
A first and last name may produce dozens of unrelated records. Before you search, collect the identifying details you legitimately know.
- full legal first and last name
- middle name or middle initial
- former or maiden names
- approximate date of birth
- state where the person lived