How to Lookup Someone’s Criminal Record

[Emilio Jensen]

I’m working on a personal project that involves checking someones criminal background more out of curiosity and for informational purposes than anything else. I’m not trying to harass anyone but I’d like to understand what’s legally and ethically accessible.

Is there any reliable way to look up a person criminal record preferably at the state or county level without needing to sign up for a site or paying $50+ just to get vague info? I’ve checked a few court websites and while some have public search tools, they’re not super intuitive or don’t show anything unless you already know the exact court/case.

Is there a standard method for this or does it completely depend on the state you’re in? For context I’m in the US and the person in question was likely living in New York or Pennsylvania when the events occurred.

 

[Sariah Daugherty]

For New York, check out the webcrims portal. It’s free and shows criminal cases in many counties. Not super user friendly but you don’t need an account.

 

[Turner Norton]

Unfortunately there’s no real standard method. Every state has its own setup and even counties can be different. PA for example has a unified court system search.

 

[Kylee Bowman]

You can submit a FOIA request in some places but it’s not instant and usually only works with exact details.

 

[Alice Baldwin]

Try local county court websites. Some have case search tools hidden in the clerk of court section. It’s tedious but free.

 

[Jaiden Coffey]

If it’s a federal case, you can use pacer.gov but you’ll need to register and pay a few cents per page.

 

[Paola Sullivan]

Be cautious even though these are public records, misusing them can get you into legal or ethical gray areas.

 

[Evan Dillon]

You can call the county clerks office directly in some cases. They’ll usually tell you whether they have public kiosks or in office lookups.

 

[Laurel Contreras]

Check if the person has a mugshot on sites like arrestfacts or bustedmugshots. Not always accurate but can give leads.

 

[Scout Lucas]

If the incident was recent, check local news archives. Small town papers especially love covering arrests.

 

[Emely Simon]

For a quick scan, google their name + court docket + county name. Sometimes it’ll surface official court pages.

 

[Andi Ramos]

In PA the UJS portal is your best bet. It’s clunky but gives you docket sheets and court summaries.

 

[Matias Baker]

If it’s something like a traffic or misdemeanor case, a lot of those don’t show up online unless you have the docket number.

 

[Rowan Snow]

Most background check sites charge you for public info you can get yourself. They just bundle it.

 

[Alexia Duffy]

NY state does offer criminal history searches but you have to go through the DCJS and pay a fee.

 

[Kyng Peck]

Be careful with using InfoTracer. A lot of their info is outdated or scraped

 

[Turner Wilkinson]

Try checking the county’s jail roster too. Some are searchable and list recent bookings.

 

[Kyra Lane]

Might be worth checking if the person was on probation or parole, some states have searchable databases for that too.