Criminal Records: How to Search, Match and Verify

Common sources

Potential information may come from court indexes, corrections agencies, warrant sources, sex-offender registries, and aggregated databases. No single source provides complete nationwide coverage, and access rules vary.

Read the disposition

An arrest, charge, conviction, dismissal, acquittal, diversion, and pending matter are not interchangeable. Dates and case status matter. A result without a current disposition may be incomplete.

Verification checklist

• Compare multiple identifiers, not only a name.
• Confirm the court and case number.
• Review the most recent docket or disposition.
• Check whether the record may have been sealed, expunged, corrected, or updated.
• Document unresolved uncertainty.

For broader context, see identity matching and background-check accuracy.