Criminal Records

Criminal records are a record of crimes for which an individual has been convicted. In some cases this may also include arrests which did not result in convictions, or charges for which the subject has been acquitted. Since there are local, state, and federal criminal records it can be difficult to access all this information without a service to help you search.

What Exactly Are Public Criminal Records?

Do you know what public criminal records are? Not too many people do. They are the criminal records that are at the national level that you can gain access to without having to have government authorization. You can gain access to these records using the internet or by using a fee based system.

You can’t do a criminal search on a state level because most of the states don’t allow this. So you have to go on a national level to do your search. Since the mid-1990s the local, state, federal courts and most government agencies have been making it much easier to get access to public records.

When you want to look at someone’s public criminal record there are limitations that you need to be aware of. Included in the criminal records will be statements from victims and witnesses, plus other highly sensitive information. Once this information becomes public, the identities of the witnesses will be revealed and this can mean that their personal safety may be put at risk. Plus, if there are any errors in the record then this can have a negative consequence for the individual’s reputation.

The court systems and the Government agencies have limited access to this information that is put online or offline in order to reduce the risk involved in the public accessing the criminal records. Each agency has to have you enter into a confidentiality agreement that says you will keep the information in the public criminal record to yourself. You will also have to pay a small fee to get access to the criminal records.