How to Search Someone’s Criminal Record in View Someones
How to View Someone’s Criminal Record for Free: Official Court Search Guide
You can often view someone’s criminal record for free by searching publicly available court cases through an official state, county or municipal court website. Many courts allow you to search by a defendant’s name, review criminal charges, check hearing dates and find the final outcome without purchasing a background report.
Start with the state and county where the criminal case was filed. Search the court’s public case database using the person’s name or case number. When you find a possible match, open the docket and review the final disposition to determine whether the charge resulted in a conviction, dismissal, acquittal or another outcome.
Official U.S. court, FBI and Federal Trade Commission resources reviewed October 20, 2026.
Can You Look Up Someone’s Criminal Record for Free?
Yes, if the information is part of a publicly accessible criminal court record. Many U.S. courts publish searchable case indexes showing defendants, criminal charges, court events and dispositions.
But there are important differences between a criminal court record, an arrest report and an official criminal-history background check.
| Record you want | Free public access? | Where to search |
|---|---|---|
| State criminal court docket | Often available free | Official state or county court case search |
| County misdemeanor or felony case | Often available free | County Clerk, Circuit Court, District Court or Superior Court |
| Public sentencing or dismissal information | Sometimes free online | Original criminal court’s public docket |
| Public jail booking or inmate information | Often available free | Sheriff, detention center or Department of Corrections |
| Federal criminal case | Limited free access; PACER charges may apply | U.S. District Court and PACER |
| Another person’s complete FBI rap sheet | Not available through public personal-review requests | Restricted FBI criminal-history system |
| Certified criminal judgment | Usually requires a copying or certification fee | Original court clerk |
Do you need the person’s Social Security number?
No. Many public court portals allow ordinary name-based case searches without requiring a Social Security number.
The more useful information is usually the person’s correctly spelled name, possible middle name, county where the case was filed, and approximate filing date.
You should not try to obtain another person’s sensitive identification information or use restricted background-check systems without legal authorization.
How to View Someone’s Criminal Record for Free: Step by Step
The most reliable method is to begin with an official criminal court records system rather than a commercial people-search website.
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Identify the person’s full name.
Use the legal name if known. A middle name, previous name or different spelling may help distinguish similar records.
Avoid assuming that a partial-name match belongs to the correct individual.
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Find the state where the criminal case occurred.
A criminal case is generally maintained in the jurisdiction where the charges were prosecuted, not necessarily where the individual currently lives.
If the location is unknown, begin with states or counties supported by reliable existing information.
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Locate the official state or county court website.
Visit USA.gov’s court directory, select the applicable state, and follow links to the state’s judicial system.
Look for a public case-search option maintained by the court or Clerk.
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Open Criminal Case Search or Public Records.
Different courts use names such as Case Search, Docket Search, Case Information, Public Access or Court Records Lookup.
Select criminal cases rather than property records or unrelated civil filing indexes.
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Search using the defendant’s name.
Enter the last name and first name using the format requested by the portal.
Use case type, county, date range or other available filters to reduce unrelated matches.
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Review the matching court cases.
Look for the court name, case number, filing date and criminal case category.
If several people have the same name, do not attribute all matching cases to one person.
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Open the case docket.
Review the charges, docket events, orders and available hearing information.
The court may provide a short summary or detailed electronic documents, depending on its system.
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Find the final criminal disposition.
Look for a guilty finding, dismissal, acquittal, plea, judgment or another case outcome.
This step is essential because being charged with a crime does not mean the person was convicted.
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Check the date of the latest court action.
Some cases remain pending, have later amended judgments or are affected by appeals.
An old status entry might not reflect the current legal result.
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Verify important findings with the court clerk.
For a consequential matter, ask the Clerk about the official case file or an appropriately certified judgment.
A free online docket can help locate the case, but the original filed record is the authoritative source.
Official Websites to Search Someone’s Criminal Record for Free
The following government court systems offer free public access to qualifying case information. They are examples of actual official search services, not commercial criminal-record aggregators.
Indiana MyCase
Search nonconfidential Indiana cases by party name or case number. Many court documents are viewable online without charge.
Search coverage includes courts using Indiana’s Odyssey system. Some document types and older cases are unavailable online.
Open Indiana MyCase ↗Wisconsin Circuit Court Access
The Wisconsin Court System offers public circuit court case searches through its official WCCA service, sometimes called CCAP.
Search by name or case information. The public system does not replace a formal statewide criminal-history background check.
Open Wisconsin Court Search ↗Maryland Judiciary Case Search
Search available Maryland criminal and traffic case summaries by name and court criteria.
Some charges ending in dismissal, acquittal or nolle prosequi are suppressed from the online search despite certain records remaining accessible through the courthouse.
Open Maryland Case Search ↗Missouri Case.net
Search public Missouri court cases by litigant name, filing date, case number or scheduled hearing.
Confidential case information and restricted documents are excluded from ordinary public access.
Open Missouri Case.net ↗Palm Beach County eCaseView
Search criminal, traffic and civil case information using a name, case number or available filters.
Guest users can view eligible case information and print publicly viewable uncertified documents without payment.
Open Free eCaseView ↗USA.gov Court Directory
Use this federal government resource to locate the court system serving the state or county you need.
It is a directory, not a nationwide person-name criminal records database.
Find Your State’s Criminal Courts ↗How these free court services differ
| Official service | Name search | Document access |
|---|---|---|
| Indiana MyCase | Yes | Many eligible public documents free online |
| Wisconsin WCCA | Yes | Public case information; obtain other records from the Clerk |
| Maryland Case Search | Yes | Primarily case summaries; full case records through Clerk access |
| Missouri Case.net | Yes | Public case information; document access depends on eligibility and access rules |
| Palm Beach County eCaseView | Yes | Eligible public document images viewable and printable free |
How to Find Someone’s Criminal Records Without Knowing the County
The biggest obstacle in a free criminal record search is often identifying the original filing jurisdiction.
The United States has separate state, local, federal and tribal court systems. A search in one county will not necessarily find cases filed elsewhere.
Start with the information you already have
- Known case paperwork: Look for the court name, case number or county on a citation, notice or charging document.
- Approximate offense location: Identify the jurisdiction where the reported incident occurred.
- Known arresting agency: The police or Sheriff’s agency involved may help identify the court to which the case was referred.
- Known case date: Use an approximate filing or incident date to narrow the search.
- Federal prosecution: Search the national PACER Case Locator when there is a reasonable basis to believe the case involved federal court.
What if the person has lived in several states?
Search only the relevant jurisdictions supported by the information available. A person’s current residential address does not establish where past criminal proceedings occurred.
If your purpose requires a legally compliant multijurisdictional background check, use the appropriate authorized service rather than treating several free court searches as complete.
Can you search all 50 states simultaneously for free?
No single official free name-search website covers all state and county criminal court cases throughout the United States.
Some states operate broad statewide court portals. Other states maintain separate county-level systems, charge for criminal-history searches or restrict public name-based access.
What Can You See in Someone’s Public Criminal Court Record?
A free online criminal court search may show the following information, depending on the jurisdiction and access rules.
Criminal charges
The alleged offenses filed with the court, including statute references or charge descriptions.
Case number and court
The official case identifier, assigned court and filing date.
Court dates
Scheduled hearings, arraignments, trial dates and other publicly available court events.
Case disposition
Recorded outcomes such as guilty, not guilty, dismissed or other final dispositions.
Sentencing information
Available judgments, probation terms, fines or incarceration sentences, when publicly reported.
Filed court documents
Public orders, judgments, motions and other electronic documents, where the court permits access.
Does a free court search show the entire criminal history?
Usually not. It identifies cases within the system being searched.
It may omit proceedings from other counties, federal courts, separate municipal courts, sealed cases or older paper archives.
Do all courts show date of birth?
No. Courts increasingly restrict sensitive identifying information.
For example, Indiana MyCase permits certain searches using date of birth, but the court explains that date-of-birth information is excluded from public case details.
Other portals may limit identifying information to registered or authorized users.
How to Check Someone’s Federal Criminal Record
If you believe a case was prosecuted under federal law, search the federal judiciary’s PACER system.
PACER is different from state criminal court searches and different from an FBI rap sheet.
How to search a federal defendant’s case
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Create a PACER account.
Account registration is free. Electronic case access can incur fees.
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Open PACER Case Locator.
Use the national index if you do not know which U.S. District Court handled the case.
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Enter the person’s name or known case number.
Apply court, case type or date filters where supported.
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Review matching federal cases.
Check the filing court, criminal case number and defendant information.
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Open the court-specific docket.
Review publicly accessible charges, hearings and judgments.
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Confirm the final case outcome.
An indictment or criminal complaint does not establish a conviction.
Is PACER free?
PACER currently charges $0.10 per billable page. Through December 2026, it automatically waives quarterly charges of $30 or less.
As announced by the federal judiciary, the rate changes to $0.12 per page on January 1, 2027, and the automatic quarterly fee-waiver threshold becomes $40.
PACER searches can incur charges even when no matching case is found.
Other ways to view federal court information without paying
- View eligible court information at public access terminals in federal courthouses.
- Search federal judicial opinions available free through the Government Publishing Office.
- Ask the original court about public viewing procedures for case files.
- Use PACER’s quarterly fee waiver when eligible, while recognizing that charges accumulate before the waiver is determined.
How to Check Someone’s Arrest or Jail Record for Free
Sheriffs, detention centers and correctional agencies sometimes publish free inmate and booking searches.
These records can be useful when the person is currently in custody or when a recent arrest has occurred.
However, an arrest record is not necessarily a criminal court conviction record.
Search a county jail
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Identify the county where the person was detained.
Use reliable location information.
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Open the official Sheriff’s website.
Look for Jail Records, Inmate Search, Booking Inquiry or Detention Center.
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Search by the supported name or identifier.
Some systems show current inmates only; others offer limited historical bookings.
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Review the custody information.
Check booking date, facility and reported charge information when publicly available.
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Use the criminal court system for the disposition.
Confirm whether prosecutors filed a case and how the charge ended.
Search federal prison records
The Federal Bureau of Prisons provides a free Inmate Locator covering qualifying federal inmates incarcerated from 1982 onward.
Search the national public sex offender registry
The U.S. Department of Justice operates the Dru Sjodin National Sex Offender Public Website, which connects publicly accessible registry information from all 50 states, the District of Columbia, U.S. territories and participating tribal jurisdictions.
This is a specialized registry, not a database containing everyone who has ever been convicted of a crime.
Can You View Someone Else’s FBI Criminal Record for Free?
No. The FBI does not provide another person’s confidential Identity History Summary to an ordinary private citizen through its personal-review request process.
An FBI Identity History Summary, often called a rap sheet, is a fingerprint-based criminal-history document.
The FBI’s direct request service is intended for the subject of the record to review or correct that person’s own history.
What does an FBI personal criminal-history check cost?
The FBI processing fee for requesting your own Identity History Summary.
Current fingerprints
Fingerprints are required to establish that the report belongs to the person requesting it.
What about permission from the person?
A person can request their own FBI Identity History Summary and choose to share their response voluntarily.
Separate authorized fingerprint-based background checks for employers, licensing agencies and government organizations must follow applicable legal procedures.
Merely knowing another person’s name or personal identifiers does not entitle someone to access a confidential FBI report.
Free Criminal Record Search vs. Paid Background Check
Commercial background-check websites can charge for information that is also available from a government court system.
However, paid services and official fingerprint-based checks can cover different information, so it is important to distinguish price from scope.
| Search option | Typical cost | What to know |
|---|---|---|
| Indiana MyCase | Free | Public nonconfidential Indiana cases and many available documents |
| Wisconsin WCCA | Free public lookup | Public Wisconsin Circuit Court case information |
| Maryland Judiciary Case Search | Free public lookup | Selected case summaries; important charge-suppression rules |
| Missouri Case.net | Free public lookup | Publicly accessible Missouri case information |
| Palm Beach County eCaseView | Free | Qualifying public cases and uncertified document images |
| PACER federal court search | $0.10 per billable page in 2026 | Quarterly waiver applies at $30 or less |
| FBI Identity History Summary | $18 | Your own fingerprint-based report, not someone else’s unrestricted public record |
| Certified criminal court copy | Varies by court | Official paper or electronic certified document |
| Private background-check website | Provider-specific | Coverage, reliability, permitted uses and cancellation terms vary |
How to avoid misleading “free criminal record” offers
- Prefer official government court websites over advertising-based people-search pages.
- Read the payment screen before purchasing a report or subscription.
- Check whether the website provides an actual court case or only a possible name match.
- Check the jurisdiction and period included in the search.
- Do not assume that a privately compiled criminal record is complete or current.
- Use the original court’s official records to verify any significant allegation or reported conviction.
How to Verify Someone’s Criminal Record Search Result
A common problem with name-based criminal record searches is mistaken identity.
Two individuals can share the same first and last name. A record might also use a middle initial, former surname or spelling variation.
Review the following before relying on a result
- Court: Does the court match the jurisdiction associated with the known incident?
- Case number: Is the record from the specific case being investigated?
- Dates: Are the filing and offense dates consistent with the information you know?
- Available identifiers: Do lawfully accessible identifying details help distinguish similarly named people?
- Disposition: Was the charge dismissed, adjudicated, acquitted or otherwise resolved?
- Later activity: Was the judgment amended, appealed, sealed or otherwise affected by subsequent orders?
Example: A criminal charge is not a conviction
Sample Criminal Case Summary
- Defendant
- Example Person
- Case number
- SAMPLE-2026-001
- Case category
- Misdemeanor Criminal
- Original charge
- Fictional misdemeanor charge
- Case status
- Closed
- Final disposition
- Dismissed
- Conviction
- No conviction entered on the example charge
This is not a real court case. It illustrates why the final disposition matters more than the original charge or administrative case status.
Common criminal record terms
| Term | What it generally means |
|---|---|
| Arrested | Taken into custody by law enforcement; not proof of conviction |
| Charged | Formally accused of an alleged criminal offense |
| Pending | The criminal proceeding has not reached its recorded final resolution |
| Dismissed | The specified charge ended without a conviction on that charge |
| Acquitted | Found not guilty of the charge |
| Convicted | A legally recognized conviction was entered |
| Deferred adjudication | A jurisdiction-specific procedure postponing final adjudication under conditions |
| Sealed | Public access restricted by applicable law or court order |
| Expunged | Record subject to an applicable expungement remedy; scope varies by law |
How to get official proof of a case outcome
If an official copy is needed, contact the original criminal court Clerk.
Provide the case number and ask for the particular judgment, dismissal order, sentencing order or final disposition.
The Clerk can explain whether it offers free viewing, ordinary copies or certified copies and what fees apply.
Is It Legal to Search Someone’s Criminal Record Without Permission?
In many U.S. jurisdictions, ordinary members of the public may inspect criminal court records designated as public without obtaining the defendant’s permission.
However, public court access is not unrestricted access to every criminal-history database.
Records that may be inaccessible
- Sealed criminal proceedings and documents
- Expunged or otherwise legally restricted cases
- Most confidential juvenile proceedings
- Protected victim, witness or personal identifying information
- Confidential law-enforcement investigative information
- Private fingerprint-based criminal-history records
- Other records excluded by court rule, state statute or judicial order
Can someone use free court records to screen job applicants?
Public record research and employment background screening are different legal activities.
When an employer obtains a report from a consumer reporting company, the Fair Credit Reporting Act generally requires written disclosure and written authorization, along with additional procedures before an adverse employment decision.
State and local laws may impose further requirements about when criminal history can be considered and how it is used.
What about checking a prospective tenant?
Tenant-screening reports can also be subject to the Fair Credit Reporting Act and applicable housing laws.
If you are conducting screening for a rental decision, use an appropriate legally compliant process. Do not assume a casual public court search satisfies every legal requirement.
Can you publish or share another person’s criminal record?
Public availability does not eliminate the risks of misidentification, inaccurate statements or misuse of personal information.
Do not describe a person as convicted when the available court record only establishes that charges were filed.
Avoid disclosing unnecessary sensitive identifiers or sharing restricted information obtained outside authorized channels.
Why Can’t You Find Someone’s Criminal Record Online?
A person may have a public criminal court case that is not immediately visible through a particular online search.
| Search problem | Possible reason | What to try |
|---|---|---|
| No match by name | Name spelling differs or the wrong jurisdiction was searched | Verify spelling, case location and available filters |
| Too many people share the same name | Common name or broad query | Narrow by county, case type, filing period or case number |
| Recent arrest not in court portal | The prosecution may not yet have been filed or entered | Check the original agency or court later, if appropriate |
| Dismissed Maryland charge is missing | Qualifying dispositions are suppressed from online Case Search | Consult Maryland’s official court access guidance |
| Old criminal file is unavailable | Historical records may be paper-based or archived | Contact the court Clerk about older records |
| State court search does not show federal case | Federal prosecutions use a separate court system | Check PACER |
| Federal PACER search shows no result | Case may be in state court, restricted or outside the electronic coverage | Verify the original filing jurisdiction |
| Court docket has no public documents | Documents may be paper-only or restricted from remote access | Ask the Clerk about public inspection or copies |
| No result in a prison database | The person may not be in that correctional system | Check the relevant county jail or original court |
| Case was sealed or expunged | Applicable law restricts public availability | Respect the restriction and follow authorized procedures |
Does “no record found” mean someone has a clean criminal history?
No. It means the specific search did not return a matching publicly accessible record using the information entered.
The court system may exclude other counties, historical periods, sealed cases, unreported matters or proceedings in other jurisdictions.
What if you find the wrong person’s record?
Do not attribute it to the person being researched.
Use the original court’s case number and permitted identifying details to distinguish the records. If the online information is insufficient, the appropriate conclusion is that the identity cannot be reliably established from that result.
How to View Someone’s Criminal Record for Free: FAQs
1. How can I view someone’s criminal record for free?
2. Can I search someone’s criminal record using only their name?
3. Do I need someone’s permission to view their public criminal court records?
4. Is there a free nationwide criminal background check website?
5. What are the best free official criminal court search websites?
6. Can I look up someone’s FBI criminal history for free?
7. How can I check if someone has been convicted of a crime?
8. Can I search someone’s arrest record for free?
9. Why doesn’t someone’s criminal case appear online?
10. Can free criminal records be used for employment or tenant screening?
Government Websites for Free Criminal Records Searches
The resources below are operated by the federal government, state judiciaries or county court clerks. Use them to find official case information and confirm current access rules.
Official state and county court searches
- USA.gov — Find Federal, State and Local Courts
- Indiana Judicial Branch — MyCase Public Case Search
- Indiana Courts — Public Case Search Instructions
- Wisconsin Court System — Circuit Court Case Search
- Maryland Judiciary — Official Case Search
- Maryland Courts — Public Court Access and Confidentiality Rules
- Missouri Judiciary — Case.net Public Records
- Palm Beach County Clerk — Free eCaseView
- Palm Beach County Clerk — eCaseView Search FAQs
Federal criminal court and FBI information
- PACER — Federal Court Case Search
- PACER — Official Fees and Waiver Rules
- PACER — Announced January 2027 Pricing Change
- U.S. Government Publishing Office — Free Court Opinions
- FBI — Can Private Citizens Request Another Person’s Rap Sheet?
- FBI — Personal Criminal History Record Review