The Massachusetts government makes it very easy for you to get a copy of someone’s criminal history. You can do both a name search or a fingerprint search, and you can quickly get a copy of your own. Their website has resources on how to deal with identity theft, criminal history discrimination, and other issues. They also offer information about sex criminals and instructions and resources to have your criminal record sealed. Their database system is called iCORI, and anyone can use it to search for a criminal history record.
Massachusetts has a dedicated agency in charge of federal records called the Federal Records Center in Waltham, MA. They keep documents from all federal criminal and civil cases, and you can contact them to get copies. You can use their form NATF Form 92 to request transcripts and will get a result within 1-3 business days. For local criminal court records, you can either visit the local courthouse in person or contact them online. Many of them have their own websites with portals where you can do a search and retrieve documents electronically.
Except for some types of crimes both misdemeanor and felonies are eligible to be sealed after a waiting period. You must wait five years after a misdemeanor and have no additional convictions before applying to have your records sealed. For felonies, you must wait ten years. If you do not contact the courts to petition to have your records sealed then felonies and misdemeanors will both stay on your criminal record forever.
Massachusetts makes it very easy for anyone to look up your criminal records and obtain the details. In keeping with the Freedom of Information Act, they provide easy, public access to both criminal records, background checks and also court documents. You can also use online search portals from third-parties to look someone up.
There are many reasons why you might want to look into someone’s criminal history. The first good reason is if you plan on trusting someone with valuable assets or taking care of loved ones. Secondly, if you plan on dating someone new, it makes sense to know who you will be spending time with. Gun dealers use them before selling guns.
The types of criminal records available when you search for someone are basic information like name, address, race, gender, age, height, weight, mug shots, and fingerprints. Then you will also see charges, convictions, sentencing, arrests, incarcerations, sex crimes, felonies, misdemeanors, along with other information.
Whenever a police officer arrests someone the paper trail begins. Every time something happens after that as a criminal is prosecuted through the system, a form is filled in, or a document created that adds to the file. All this paperwork becomes someone’s criminal history record.
