Start with the place where the case would have happened
If you want to see whether someone has a criminal record in the United States, the most reliable method is usually not a single nationwide name search. Criminal court cases, arrests, jail bookings, state criminal-history files, prison records and federal cases are maintained by different agencies. Start with the state and county connected with the person or event, then verify any possible match against the official court disposition.
“Criminal record” can mean several different things
Before searching, decide what information you actually want. A court conviction record is not the same thing as an arrest log, jail booking or state fingerprint-based criminal-history record.
Criminal case
Shows filed charges, hearings, pleas, court orders, dispositions and sometimes sentencing information.
Arrest record
Shows law-enforcement action. An arrest does not establish that the person was convicted.
Booking record
Can show custody, listed charges, booking date and bond information where public.
Criminal history
Statewide data maintained by a State Police, DPS, DOJ, Bureau of Investigation or similar agency.
Prison / supervision record
Information about people within a state Department of Corrections or federal prison system.
Federal case
Federal prosecutions are separate from state and county criminal court databases.
Gather enough information to identify the right person
A first and last name can produce many false matches. Before opening a court or criminal-history database, collect as many legitimate identifiers as you already know.
- full first and last name
- middle name or middle initial
- former or maiden name
- approximate date of birth
- state where the person lived
- county where an incident may have occurred
- approximate year of the case
- known case or citation number
Search the official court system before using a commercial people-search site
State and local courts are often the best starting point because they can show what charges were actually filed and how the case ended.
The federal government’s USA.gov court directory can help you locate federal, state, territory, county and municipal court systems.
Find the official court systemChoose the state connected with the possible case
Start with where the arrest, alleged offense or prosecution occurred rather than automatically searching only the person’s current state.
Open the state’s official judiciary website
Look for links labeled Case Search, Court Records, Case Lookup, Public Access, Docket Search or Criminal Case Search.
Search the name carefully
Use the person’s full legal name. Add DOB, middle name, county or case type when the system provides those filters.
Open the correct case
Compare identifiers and location before assuming that a matching name belongs to the person you are researching.
Read every charge and disposition
A case can contain multiple counts with different outcomes. One may be dismissed while another results in conviction.
Save the case number
Once you find the right case, the case number is usually the fastest way to order records, locate later hearings or check an appeal.
Statewide search unavailable? Move down to the county or city court
Court access is not standardized across the United States. Some states offer excellent statewide case searches. Others require users to search individual county clerks, district courts, superior courts, circuit courts, municipal courts or justice courts.
Check the state’s official criminal-history repository when broader coverage is needed
Every state has a central agency responsible for criminal-history identification functions. The agency name varies. It may be called a State Police, Department of Public Safety, State Bureau of Investigation, Department of Justice or Criminal Justice Information agency.
The FBI maintains an official State Identification Bureau listing that identifies the centralized criminal-history agency for each state.
Find a state criminal-history agencyWhen a state repository is useful
- you want to search beyond one county
- the state offers an official public criminal-history search
- you want to compare a court case with statewide data
- you are checking your own state criminal history
For a very recent arrest, check the sheriff, police department or county jail
Recent events can appear in local custody systems before a criminal court case is easy to locate. If you know where the arrest occurred, start with the law-enforcement or jail agency serving that area.
Useful official-page labels include:
- Inmate Search
- Jail Roster
- Booking Log
- Custody Search
- Arrest Log
- Public Records Request
- Police Records
- Sheriff Records
Use the state Department of Corrections for state-prison records
If you are trying to determine whether someone is or was incarcerated in a state prison, find the official Department of Corrections for that state.
USA.gov maintains an official directory of state corrections departments.
Find a state corrections departmentDepending on the state, a corrections search may show an offender ID, custody status, institution, sentence information, parole status or release information.
Federal criminal cases require a PACER search
State court websites generally do not contain federal criminal prosecutions. The official federal electronic court-record service is PACER.
Search the specific federal court
If you know the federal district and case number, search that court directly. PACER says specific-court information is updated when the case information is entered.
Use the PACER Case Locator
The Case Locator is a nationwide index of federal district, bankruptcy and appellate cases and is generally updated daily.
Current PACER pricing
PACER currently charges $0.10 per page for electronic case information. Most individual case documents have a $3 maximum charge. If total charges are $30 or less during a quarter, PACER currently waives those quarterly fees.
Use the Bureau of Prisons locator for federal custody
The Federal Bureau of Prisons Inmate Locator covers federal inmates incarcerated from 1982 to the present.
Search federal inmatesSearches can be performed by name or qualifying identifying number. The BOP cautions that a person listed as released or no longer in BOP custody may still be under another correctional or criminal-justice authority or on supervised release.
Use the official national sex-offender search only for that specific question
The U.S. Department of Justice coordinates the Dru Sjodin National Sex Offender Public Website, commonly called NSOPW.
It searches public registry information supplied by participating states, territories, the District of Columbia and tribal jurisdictions.
Search NSOPWYou generally cannot request someone else’s FBI rap sheet
The FBI’s Identity History Summary process is designed for a person to obtain their own fingerprint-based criminal-history summary.
The FBI explicitly states that it does not provide copies of arrest records to private individuals other than the subject of the record. In other words, you cannot simply submit another person’s name and order that person’s FBI Identity History Summary.