Free criminal court records ?
Is it possible to obtain information about criminal court records online for free?
Do you perhaps know of a public governmental or private website out there that gives free criminal court records (I have tried, but all the criminal records websites that advertise free searches still end up being pay in the end)?
thanks
(Hi Hayley - and Marula too - remember, you must confirm your Yedda subscription in the mail Yedda sends you or they cancel your account, nasty - I know, they don't make it very clear either.... )
Sorry , but unfortunately it's going to be tricky to find free criminal court records online, and yes, most of the websites that advertise " free criminal reports and court records " on the web are usually Not free. They sucker people in by saying that to search is absolutely free but to get the full criminal report you must pay a fee ... cheeky buggers!
With regards to the private websites, I do understand why they charge for the reports, they would have spend a great deal of time and money collecting information, sorting and then uploading everything to the web.
As part of my work I often require online criminal records checks (and property checks, marriage and divorce records, arrest records etc.) and I rather use the paid searches from the private companies. Why? Because the information which I have access to is of a higher quality - coming from many different government sources and private concerns throughout all the states across the country. This means that I stand a much higher chance of getting complete and accurate information i.e. the full picture.
In order to manually search all this information oneself, one would require a lot of free time. Hours between government buildings and standing in long queues and wrong queues, plus in all likelihood the info would be incomplete and/or inaccurate.
Most importantly I would only be able to search one state at a time. Why? Because government institutions will only collect information from their own states and not across the country (quite understandable I guess). But the problem is that there is no Government organization that then gathers the information from all the various states, uploads it to the web, and then allows one to perform a single search of the entire country's database. It's for this reason that most people who require crucial information, like criminal court records, would prefer to use a paid private search. They need to be sure that the information they are getting is accurate, complete and of course from a country wide database! From my past experiences with several online criminal records companies (and of course the ones offering "free criminal court records" ...) and after trial and error, I now use Gov criminal court records and checks , they produce reports from one of the largest data bases in the country, and the reports are quick and complete.
One final bit of advice : If you decide to use a paid search then do make sure that there is a once off fee only that grants you membership for a year and as many searches as you like. (Some records websites, like the one I use, even allow you to perform other searches - divorce marriage county property etc.) Steer well clear of online websites who charge per search.
I hope that helps - I know you were looking for free criminal court records, but sometimes I think it helps to get the full picture. All the best and good luck with the searches.
I think that's a great answer by Abacus, and I must agree, if I'm about to do something as important as criminal record checks and require reports then I would like to know that the information I'm getting is as complete, up to date and accurate as possible.
And yes, those websites advertising free criminal court records , are very annoying and certainly waste one's time.
Hi Abacus, thanks for your reply to my Q - "free criminal court records", it sure makes more sense now.
The link Gov criminal court records and checks is just what I was looking for (not the paying part though ) but yeah, the information I require is quite important so I already signed up - and am sufficiently impressed.
Thanks again and cheers
I'm glad I signed in to Yedda and spotted this thread I was looking for some info on how to obtain free criminal court records online.
Great answer Abacus and thanks for the link.
Thanks to all who responded to my "free criminal court records" question.
All the best.
You can head down to the local police station or courts and do a search there. They'll at the very least, guide you in a direction that's best for you.
To get the documentation go to your local police station to request this information. They in turn will submit the request in to the RCMP, who acts as the central depository for criminal records. Your local police service website will likely provide details regarding the ID and fees required to make the request.
A criminal records check has information about existing and previously decided criminal complaints against you but not information regarding previous employments. Usually previous employment records may be accessed through the resume which you submitted. There may be online employer databases which may contain a note about your previous employment history but your prospective employer must be a subscriber to the information in order to access the info.
Federal law requires a sexual predator listing of violators in your area. Unfortunately, other criminal records are not public records. You will need to get a background check that includes criminal check.
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