How to Search Someone’s Criminal Record in Out About Someones

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United States · Public criminal records and background checks

How Do You Find Out About Someone’s Criminal Records? Official Search Methods & Public Court Records

To find out about someone’s criminal records, start by searching the official criminal court records in the state or county where the person may have been charged. Many U.S. courts allow free public searches by name or case number. For federal criminal cases, use PACER. Some states also provide paid public criminal-history searches through their state police or court administration.

You generally do not need someone’s permission to inspect an ordinary public court record. However, you cannot freely obtain another person’s FBI fingerprint-based rap sheet, sealed criminal record or restricted state criminal-history file.

Below, you’ll learn how to identify the correct court, find criminal charges and convictions, search free government databases, verify that a record belongs to the right person, and understand when an official background check requires consent.

Search by name Free court databases Federal criminal records State background checks Certified records
Best starting method: Search the court’s official website first, then verify the case number and final disposition. A free public criminal court search is often enough to confirm whether a particular prosecution occurred. A name match alone, however, is not proof that the case belongs to the person you are researching.

Independent information notice: CriminalCourtRecord.org is not affiliated with any U.S. court, sheriff, state police agency or the FBI. We provide public-records guidance, not official background reports, legal representation or consumer reports.

Where Do You Look to Find Someone’s Criminal Record?

The correct government website depends on what you’re trying to discover. A courthouse, sheriff’s office and state criminal-history agency do not maintain identical records.

What you want to find Best official source What you may learn
Felony conviction or charge State trial court, Superior Court, Circuit Court, District Court or County Clerk Case number, charges, filing date, judgment, sentence and available documents
Misdemeanor criminal case County, District, Municipal, Circuit or other court with misdemeanor jurisdiction Filed misdemeanor charges, hearings and dispositions
Federal criminal prosecution PACER federal court system Federal charges, court dockets, public orders and judgments
Recent arrest or booking County sheriff, jail or arresting police department Available booking, arrest, custody and bond information
Public statewide criminal history State police, Department of Public Safety or state court administration, where authorized Releasable reportable convictions or other permitted criminal-history information
Sex offender registration Official state registry or the DOJ’s NSOPW Publicly releasable registration information
Someone’s FBI rap sheet Restricted FBI Identity History Summary system Not available for an unrestricted third-party public search
Certified criminal disposition Clerk of the court that handled the case Officially certified documentation of the case outcome
One important distinction: A criminal court record can show a charge that ended in dismissal or acquittal. A conviction-only background check may omit that case. Neither search should automatically be described as a complete record of everything a person has ever been arrested for.

How Do You Find Out About Someone’s Criminal Records? Step-by-Step

Follow these steps to research publicly accessible U.S. criminal court cases using official government sources.

  1. 1

    Start with the person’s correct legal name

    Write down the first and last name and any middle name or initial you reliably know. Some search systems allow aliases or former surnames. Avoid using a nickname as your only search term.

  2. 2

    Identify the state and county

    Determine where the alleged offense, arrest or prosecution occurred. If you know only where someone currently lives, remember that an older criminal case may be filed in another jurisdiction.

  3. 3

    Find the official court website

    Look for the state judicial branch, the county Clerk of Court or a government-operated case search. Common page names include Case Search, Criminal Court Records, Public Access, Court Docket and Case Information.

  4. 4

    Choose criminal case records

    If the portal combines several categories, select the appropriate criminal, felony, misdemeanor or traffic court records search. Court names and case classifications vary by state.

  5. 5

    Search by name

    Enter the legal name using the website’s required format. Add a known middle name, permitted date of birth, filing year or county filter to narrow results.

  6. 6

    Compare the matches

    Check the filing county, court, case number, approximate age or other legally available identifiers. Multiple people can share the same first and last name.

  7. 7

    Open the matching court case

    Review the charges, filing date, hearings, case events and documents available to public users. Look for later amendments or changes to the charges.

  8. 8

    Check the final disposition

    Find whether each charge resulted in conviction, dismissal, acquittal, diversion, deferred adjudication or another outcome. A filed criminal charge is not proof that someone was convicted.

  9. 9

    Look for later court orders

    An appeal, vacated judgment, sentence modification, sealing order or expungement may change the record’s current status or public availability.

  10. 10

    Request an official document if necessary

    If an accurate case outcome matters for a formal purpose, contact the Clerk of Court for a certified judgment, disposition or other required document.

Example: Finding a Criminal Case When You Know the State but Not the Case Number

Suppose you know someone previously lived in Indiana and may have had a misdemeanor case there.

Begin with Indiana MyCase. Select a party-name search, enter the legal name and narrow by the known county when possible. Review the case category, filing date and events, then check the final judgment.

If the case does not appear, don’t assume it never existed. Indiana’s official guidance says MyCase does not contain every historical court record and that older or unavailable documents may require contacting the filing court’s clerk.

Where Can You Check Someone’s Criminal Record for Free?

Several states provide free public criminal court case searches. These are excellent starting points when you know the relevant jurisdiction.

Indiana

Indiana MyCase

Search public cases by party name, case number or attorney. Many public criminal judgments and other documents can be viewed free of charge.

Search Indiana Court Cases →

Minnesota

Minnesota MCRO

Search many public district court cases, Registers of Actions, hearings and eligible court documents without registration or document-download fees.

Search Minnesota Records →

Maryland

Maryland Judiciary Case Search

Search public case summaries from Maryland Circuit and District Courts. Some public criminal matters are excluded from online name searches.

Search Maryland Court Cases →

Wisconsin

Wisconsin Circuit Court Access

Search available public Wisconsin circuit court case information through the state’s CCAP/WCCA service.

Search Wisconsin Court Cases →

Illinois

Illinois Circuit Court Clerks

Find the Clerk of Court for the filing county. Availability and registration requirements depend on the county’s case-search portal.

Find an Illinois Court Clerk →

Federal cases

PACER Federal Courts

Search federal criminal dockets. PACER has usage fees, but viewing records at courthouse public-access terminals is free, and low quarterly usage is waived.

Search Federal Court Cases →

Free Court Search Does Not Always Mean Free Document Copies

A court may allow everyone to search names and case numbers while charging separately for printed documents, detailed records or certified copies.

Some portals also require free registration. Others provide public access only through a courthouse computer terminal or counter.

Search tip: Prefer a state judiciary or county Clerk’s official website instead of a search result advertising “instant unlimited nationwide background checks.” A paid people-search site may combine outdated records, incorrect identity matches and information from several different sources.

How to Find Someone’s Criminal Records in Different States

State policies can differ significantly. Below are practical examples showing what information is available, how to search and which limitations matter.

Indiana: Search Court Cases by Name

Indiana’s Judicial Branch operates MyCase. The official guidance explains that public users can search by a party’s name, case number or citation number.

A party search supports the last name along with additional available name or date-of-birth criteria. The portal limits a search to 1,000 returned results, so narrower filters help with common names.

Many final orders and criminal judgments are publicly accessible online. However, MyCase is not a complete statewide fingerprint-based criminal-history report, and document availability can vary by county and age of the case.

Official Indiana MyCase Search Instructions →

Minnesota: A No-Result Name Search May Be Misleading

Minnesota Court Records Online provides free public court-record access, but it has a particularly important restriction:

Pending criminal cases without a conviction generally do not appear when you search by the defendant’s name.

The Minnesota Judicial Branch explains that you may need the case number, citation number or attorney information to locate one of those cases.

This limitation means a person’s name returning no criminal cases on MCRO does not prove that person has no pending criminal charges.

Minnesota MCRO — Name Search and Pending Case Limitations →

Maryland: Some Criminal Cases Are Public Only at the Courthouse

Maryland’s Judiciary Case Search generally provides public court case summaries. However, the judiciary explains that certain criminal cases with outcomes such as:

  • Nolle prosequi
  • Dismissal
  • Acquittal or not guilty
  • Stet after the applicable period

may be excluded from public online search while remaining available for lawful courthouse inspection.

When a Maryland online search does not find a case you reasonably believe exists, contact the Clerk’s office for the filing court.

Maryland Courts — Public and Restricted Court Records →

Florida: Public Statewide Criminal-History Checks

Florida’s Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) offers an official statewide criminal-history search. Unlike states that restrict most third-party repository requests, Florida permits public name-based requests for releasable criminal-history information.

The FDLE charges $24 per public request. Its online instant search adds a $1 card-processing fee.

The instant result is not certified. If you need a certified criminal-history report, use FDLE’s separate certified/noncertified request procedure.

Official Florida Criminal History Search →

Texas: Paid Statewide Name-Based Criminal-History Search

Texas DPS provides public access to legally releasable convictions and qualifying deferred-adjudication information.

The official public name-search system requires an account and prepaid credits. A credit costs $1, with transaction charges applying to credit-card purchases.

DPS warns that name-based matches can be inaccurate. Fingerprints are the reliable way to confirm the subject’s identity.

Texas DPS Criminal History Conviction Search →

New York: Statewide Court Criminal History Search

New York offers an official Criminal History Record Search (CHRS) through the Office of Court Administration.

The service costs $95 per search and uses an exact match of the person’s name and date of birth. It searches publicly releasable criminal court history, including eligible pending and conviction information from courts reporting to the system.

The CHRS report is not certified and does not replace a court-issued Certificate of Disposition.

Importantly, the New York court-administered CHRS service is distinct from the state’s fingerprint-based DCJS rap sheet, which has more restrictive disclosure rules.

New York State Courts — CHRS Public Search →

California: Public Court Records, Restricted DOJ Criminal History

California’s Department of Justice does not permit unrestricted public requests for another person’s statewide summary criminal-history record.

The DOJ states that those records are confidential under state law. Individuals may request their own fingerprint-based criminal history for personal review.

However, this restriction does not mean every California adult criminal court case is private. Public court records must be searched through the applicable county Superior Court and its access procedures.

California DOJ — Criminal-History Access Rules →

How to Find Out if Someone Has a Federal Criminal Record

Federal criminal prosecutions are maintained by the United States federal court system rather than by state and county criminal courts.

PACER is the federal judiciary’s official Public Access to Court Electronic Records service. It provides access to many public district and appellate court dockets and documents.

Steps to Search a Federal Criminal Case

  1. Open PACER’s official Find a Case page.
  2. Create or sign into a PACER account.
  3. Choose a particular federal court if you know where the case was filed.
  4. Otherwise use the PACER Case Locator to search across federal courts.
  5. Enter the person’s legal name or a known federal case number.
  6. Compare the court, filing date and defendant information.
  7. Open the public docket and examine charges, orders, judgments and later activity.

How Much Does PACER Cost in October 2026?

Service Current charge
Create PACER account Free
Electronic case and document access $0.10 per billable page
Most individual documents Maximum $3 per document
Quarterly charges of $30 or less Waived
Viewing records at federal courthouse terminals Free inspection; printing may cost extra
Upcoming change: The federal judiciary has announced that PACER’s per-page electronic access fee will increase from $0.10 to $0.12 on January 1, 2027. The quarterly automatic fee waiver threshold is also scheduled to rise from $30 to $40. The prices above are the published rates for October 2026.

The $3 cap does not apply to every report. Party-name search results, certain other reports and transcripts can have different billing treatment.

What If Someone’s Federal Case Is Sealed?

Sealed federal criminal filings are not accessible through ordinary public PACER searches. Other categories of confidential material, including certain juvenile and presentence records, can also be restricted.

A missing public federal record should not be treated as proof that no investigation or prosecution has ever existed.

How to Find Out if Someone Has Been Arrested

Arrest records are generally maintained by the arresting police department, county sheriff or correctional facility—not necessarily by the criminal trial court.

Search a County Jail or Booking Database

  1. Identify the county where the arrest may have occurred.
  2. Open the official county sheriff’s website.
  3. Look for Inmate Search, Jail Roster, Booking Records or Arrest Records.
  4. Use the legal name or available booking identifier.
  5. Check the booking date, listed charge and court details.
  6. Search the corresponding criminal court for the prosecution and final disposition.

Can You Find Old Arrests Online?

Sometimes, but many jail websites display only people currently in custody or recent bookings. A person who was released years ago may not appear.

For an older arrest, a records request to the responsible law-enforcement agency may be necessary. Access depends on the state’s public-records law, investigation status and other restrictions.

What About Mugshots?

Mugshot availability varies by jurisdiction. Some counties publish booking photographs, while others restrict them, remove them from public websites or require a formal records request.

A booking photograph is not evidence of conviction, and a commercial mugshot website may contain outdated or incorrect information.

An arrest does not mean someone is guilty. Police may arrest someone and prosecutors may later decline charges, dismiss the prosecution or lose the case at trial. Always verify the final court outcome before describing someone as convicted.

How to Check the Official National Sex Offender Registry

The U.S. Department of Justice provides the Dru Sjodin National Sex Offender Public Website (NSOPW).

It searches publicly available registration information supplied by participating states, territories and tribal jurisdictions.

How to Search

  1. Open NSOPW.gov.
  2. Accept the website’s conditions of use.
  3. Choose a name search or an available geographic search.
  4. Enter the first and last name or supported location criteria.
  5. Review the returned registry matches.
  6. Open the corresponding state or tribal registry record for details and verification.

NSOPW is free and is the federal government’s national access point to public sex offender registries. It does not serve as a complete criminal-history database.

Registry limitations: Not every conviction results in sex offender registration. The national search also depends on data supplied by each participating jurisdiction, and some geographic search features are unavailable for jurisdictions that do not provide the necessary coordinates. Verify results through the originating registry.

Can You Check Another Person’s FBI Criminal Record?

No, not through an unrestricted public FBI search. The FBI does not provide another person’s fingerprint-based arrest history merely because a member of the public requests it.

An individual can request their own FBI Identity History Summary through the authorized fingerprint procedure. Certain employers, licensing agencies and criminal justice organizations may access FBI information when a specific law authorizes the check.

How to Get Your Own FBI Criminal-History Summary

  1. Open the FBI Identity History Summary service.
  2. Choose the electronic or mail-based request method.
  3. Provide the required personal information.
  4. Submit fingerprints through an approved procedure.
  5. Pay the FBI’s published $18 processing fee.
  6. Review the resulting history or no-record response.
  7. Use the FBI’s correction procedure if inaccurate information appears.

Official FBI Identity History Summary Instructions →

Does Permission Make Every Criminal Record Accessible?

Not automatically. Permission may be necessary for certain background checks, but the applicable law still determines which agencies can request restricted state or federal records and for what purposes.

A person can often share a copy of their own lawfully obtained record, but some official personal-review reports carry restrictions on their use for employment, licensing or other purposes.

For an employment background check: If an employer uses a consumer reporting agency, the Fair Credit Reporting Act generally requires a proper disclosure and written authorization before obtaining the report. State and local rules may impose additional requirements.

How Much Does It Cost to Find Out About Someone’s Criminal Records?

The answer depends on whether you’re using a free court index, a state criminal-history service or a certified document request.

Search method Published price Important limitation
Indiana MyCase Free public search Does not include every historical court record.
Minnesota MCRO Free public search and available documents Pending criminal cases are generally excluded from defendant-name results.
Maryland Judiciary Case Search Free public case search Certain dispositions are excluded from online results.
Wisconsin Circuit Court Access Free public case search Only public records available in the court system.
Florida FDLE instant history $24 plus $1 card-processing fee Florida statewide, name-based and noncertified.
Texas DPS public history $1 per search credit plus applicable payment charges Legally releasable Texas criminal history; name matching is not conclusive.
New York OCA CHRS $95 per search Exact name and birth-date match; not certified.
PACER federal records $0.10 per billable page in October 2026 Charges of $30 or less per quarter waived.
FBI personal rap sheet $18 FBI fee plus possible fingerprint-provider costs For your own record or a separately authorized process.
Certified criminal court document Varies by court Copy, certification and delivery fees may apply.

Fees may change. Always review the official government’s current price and payment instructions before purchasing a search.

Do Paid Background-Check Websites Find More Records?

Not necessarily. Commercial providers may aggregate information from courts, government repositories and other sources, but their results can include outdated cases, wrong-person matches, duplicate entries and missing dispositions.

For basic research, start with official government court records. If you need regulated employment or tenant screening, use a service that meets the applicable legal requirements rather than assuming an ordinary people-search website is suitable.

How to Verify That a Criminal Record Belongs to the Right Person

This is one of the most important parts of searching someone else’s criminal history. A criminal record can seriously affect someone’s reputation if attributed to the wrong individual.

Check More Than the Name

When the court legally provides it, compare:

  • First, middle and last names
  • Known former names
  • Date of birth or permitted age information
  • Filing court and geographic location
  • Case filing date
  • Case or citation number
  • Other legally available information that helps confirm identity

Never assume someone is the defendant merely because the search returns their full name.

Why Name-Based Criminal Searches Can Be Wrong

Government agencies themselves warn about name-search limitations. Texas DPS explains that similar names and dates of birth can cause incorrect matches, and fingerprint identification is necessary to conclusively link a person to a criminal-history record.

For ordinary public court research, fingerprints are usually not available to the researcher. That makes careful case identification essential.

Example: Two People Have the Same Name

Imagine searching for “Michael Johnson” and finding three misdemeanor cases filed in different counties.

One result shows a case from 2012, another from 2020 and a third from 2025. Without reliable identifying information, you cannot assume that all three cases belong to the person you are investigating.

The correct approach is to compare the legally available identifiers, verify the filing court and obtain supporting documentation when necessary. If you cannot establish the match, describe the result as unverified rather than as that person’s criminal history.

What if You Find a Conviction?

Read the entire available case history. Confirm whether the conviction was later vacated, overturned, pardoned, sealed or otherwise affected by a subsequent order.

Also check whether a case contains several charges. A single court proceeding might involve one dismissed charge and a separate count resolved by a guilty plea.

How to Obtain Certified Criminal Court Records About Someone

A public court search is useful for discovering a case, but a certified court record is the better source when an official document is required.

Certified records are provided by the court or authorized records custodian and may have limitations depending on case confidentiality and state law.

How to Request a Certified Criminal Disposition

  1. 1

    Identify the filing court

    Determine which county, state and court handled the case.

  2. 2

    Find the complete case number

    Use the public court portal or ask the Clerk’s office to locate the case using available identifying information.

  3. 3

    Specify the document needed

    Common requests include a final disposition, judgment of conviction, dismissal order, sentencing order or certified docket.

  4. 4

    Ask whether the document is public

    Verify that it is available for public release and not sealed or otherwise restricted.

  5. 5

    Confirm fees and delivery options

    The court may provide online ordering, email requests, mail service, courthouse pickup or other procedures.

  6. 6

    Receive and review the official copy

    Check that the document identifies the correct case and contains the required court certification.

Sample request to a Clerk of Court

I would like to request a certified copy of a publicly accessible criminal case record. The case was filed in [County and State] under case number [Case Number], involving [Defendant Name]. I need [Final Disposition / Judgment / Dismissal Order / Sentencing Order]. Please confirm whether the document is publicly available, the applicable certification fee and the accepted request and delivery methods.

Official document versus online screen: Printing a public docket does not automatically make it a certified criminal-history document. Ask the court what kind of certification is available and whether the receiving organization accepts it.

What Criminal Records Can’t You Find About Someone?

Some criminal records are not open to ordinary public searches, even when the person was previously arrested or prosecuted.

Sealed Court Cases

When a case is sealed, ordinary public access is restricted under the applicable state law or court order.

Expunged Records

Expungement may remove or restrict qualifying records, depending on the jurisdiction. Authorized agencies may retain access in specified situations.

Juvenile Cases

Many juvenile delinquency records have special confidentiality protections. Some cases transferred to adult court follow different rules.

Protected Investigation Files

Police reports involving open investigations, protected victims or witnesses, confidential informants or other exempt information may be withheld or redacted.

Restricted State Rap Sheets

Some state criminal-history repositories permit access only to the record subject or statutorily authorized agencies.

FBI Fingerprint Records

Complete FBI Identity History Summaries are not available for unrestricted third-party searches.

Do Old Criminal Records Automatically Disappear After Seven Years?

No. There is no nationwide rule requiring every public criminal court conviction to disappear after seven years.

State record-sealing laws, court retention policies and consumer background-reporting restrictions are different legal frameworks. A conviction may remain publicly available long after the sentence ends unless a relevant law or order restricts it.

Can You Search a Sealed Criminal Record?

Not through ordinary public access. A court may allow certain authorized individuals or agencies to obtain restricted information under specific statutory procedures.

Members of the public should not attempt to bypass court-access restrictions, obtain restricted records through someone else’s credentials or misrepresent their identity to gain access.

Is It Legal to Check Someone’s Criminal Record Without Their Permission?

In many cases, yes. Ordinary public adult criminal court records are available for lawful inspection, and a court generally does not require the defendant’s consent before permitting a public docket search.

However, public record access and official background screening are different activities. Privacy rules, statutory permissions and the purpose for which the information is used can change the legal requirements.

Checking a Criminal Court Record for Personal Information

A member of the public can generally inspect an unrestricted public criminal case using a court’s approved search process.

This can help answer a narrow factual question, such as whether a particular criminal prosecution was filed and how it concluded.

Checking Criminal History for Employment

When an employer obtains a background report from a consumer reporting agency, the Fair Credit Reporting Act generally requires a proper disclosure and written authorization before obtaining the report.

The FTC explains that employers may also need to provide the report and required rights notice before taking an adverse employment action, followed by additional notice if the adverse decision is made.

State and local fair-chance employment laws may impose further restrictions.

Checking Criminal History for Housing

Housing screening may involve fair-housing requirements, the FCRA when a consumer reporting agency supplies the report, and state or local restrictions on criminal-history screening.

A public courthouse search is not automatically a legally compliant tenant-screening process.

Arrest Records Are Not Conviction Records

The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission emphasizes that the fact of an arrest does not prove a person committed a crime. Employers should distinguish arrests from convictions and evaluate information according to applicable legal requirements.

FCRA notice: CriminalCourtRecord.org is not a consumer reporting agency and does not furnish reports for employment, tenant screening, credit, insurance or other FCRA-regulated eligibility decisions.

Why Can’t You Find Someone’s Criminal Record Online?

When a criminal case does not appear in a database, consider the system’s coverage and search restrictions before assuming no record exists.

Problem Possible reason What to do next
No result for the person’s name Wrong county, name variation, middle-name mismatch or restricted search criteria. Check the court location and try permitted alternative name fields or a case number.
Case may be in another state Criminal cases are commonly searched by filing jurisdiction. Identify the state and county where the prosecution occurred.
Pending Minnesota criminal case missing MCRO generally excludes pending criminal cases from defendant-name searches. Use the case number, citation number or applicable attorney information.
Maryland dismissal not visible Certain nonconviction cases are not shown through online Case Search. Contact the filing courthouse about public inspection.
Historical case not online The court’s electronic database may begin years after the case was filed. Ask the Clerk about archived or paper records.
Only an arrest appears No charges filed, different court or court records not yet updated. Identify the prosecuting court and review the later disposition.
Court summary appears but not the judgment Document images are restricted or not available remotely. Request the public document directly from the Clerk.
Case sealed or expunged Public access is restricted by law or court order. Respect the restriction and ask the court about authorized access.
State check returns no record Repository disclosure limits, name mismatch or incomplete reporting. Review the search scope and available correction or fingerprint procedures.
Federal case absent from state court Federal prosecutions are maintained by separate federal courts. Use PACER.
Bottom line: “No records found” usually means that a particular search did not locate a matching public record. It does not certify that someone has never been arrested, charged or convicted anywhere in the United States.

How Do You Find Out About Someone’s Criminal Records? FAQs

1. How do you find out about someone’s criminal records?

Identify the state or county where the person may have been prosecuted, then search the official criminal court website by legal name or case number. Review matching cases and their final dispositions. For federal criminal cases, use PACER. Public statewide criminal-history searches are also available in certain states.

2. Can I find someone’s criminal record for free?

Yes, many public court databases are free, including Indiana MyCase, Minnesota MCRO, Maryland Judiciary Case Search and Wisconsin Circuit Court Access. However, not all jurisdictions provide complete online access, and certified records or statewide criminal-history reports may cost money.

3. Can I check if someone has a felony conviction?

Yes, when the felony case is publicly accessible. Search the criminal trial court where the prosecution was filed, open the case and check the judgment or disposition. A charge or indictment by itself does not establish a felony conviction.

4. Can you look up criminal records with just a name?

Many courts and public background-check systems permit name-based searches. However, results may include different people with identical names. Use legally available details such as court location, filing year or date of birth to verify the match.

5. Is there a free nationwide criminal background check?

No single free government website provides a complete nationwide criminal-history report for everyone. Public court portals cover their participating jurisdictions, PACER covers federal court records, and state repositories have separate access rules. The FBI does not provide unrestricted public searches of another person’s rap sheet.

6. Can I see someone’s criminal record without asking them?

Generally, anyone may inspect unrestricted public criminal court records without the defendant’s permission. Restricted state or FBI records follow different access rules. Employers using consumer reporting agencies generally must comply with FCRA authorization requirements.

7. How do I find someone’s old criminal records?

Find the original court and request its historical or archived case search. Older criminal files may be stored on paper, microfilm or in offsite archives rather than in a modern online portal.

8. How can I check if someone was arrested but never convicted?

Contact the arresting law-enforcement agency for legally available arrest information and search the applicable criminal court for the disposition. Disclosure of nonconviction records varies by state; some cases are removed from online searches, sealed or expunged.

9. Can anyone obtain another person’s FBI criminal record?

No. The FBI does not provide complete fingerprint-based Identity History Summaries to unrelated members of the public. Individuals can request their own records, and certain organizations can conduct legally authorized screening.

10. What if the criminal record belongs to someone with the same name?

Do not attribute the record to the person you are researching without reliable corroboration. Compare the court, filing date and permitted identifying details, or obtain an official record. A name-only match is not conclusive.

11. Do criminal records disappear after seven years?

No universal seven-year rule removes public criminal court records. Convictions may remain accessible for much longer. State expungement and sealing laws, court retention policies and consumer-reporting restrictions operate under different rules.

12. What is the most reliable way to confirm a criminal conviction?

Find the original criminal court and review its judgment or final disposition. For formal proof, request a certified copy from the Clerk of Court. This is more reliable than relying only on an arrest report, commercial people-search result or an outdated news article.

Official Government Websites for Finding Criminal Records

These government sources explain the public search methods, access limitations, identification requirements and current fees discussed throughout the article.

Free State Court Search Resources

Public Statewide Criminal-History Searches

Federal and National Criminal Records

Background-Check Laws and Responsible Use

Final Answer: How Can You Find Out About Someone’s Criminal Records?

The most effective method is to search the official criminal court in the jurisdiction where the case was filed. Start with the person’s legal name, narrow by county or state, verify the correct case and read the final disposition.

For federal charges, use PACER. For statewide conviction information, check whether the relevant state provides an authorized public criminal-history service. For recent arrests, contact the appropriate law-enforcement agency. Restricted FBI records, sealed cases and many juvenile records are not available through unrestricted public searches.

Most importantly, remember that an arrest is not a conviction, a name match is not identity confirmation, and an online no-result response is not proof of a completely clean criminal history.

Last reviewed: October 19, 2026. Court websites, fees, access restrictions and legal requirements can change. Verify important information directly with the government office maintaining the original record.

CriminalCourtRecord.org — Independent public-records information. Not a government agency, law firm, criminal-history repository or consumer reporting agency.

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