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A Guide to Criminal Records

Criminal Records

What is a Criminal Record?

A criminal record is a legal document which provides information about someone’s history of criminal activity or contact with law enforcement agencies and the broader legal system. A criminal record contains an assortment of information. Oftentimes these forms of information vary depending on the age of the underlying individual and the country.

Criminal Records are utilized to conduct background checks, which are formal investigations of an individual’s past in regards to any illegal actions committed. Criminal records, therefore, are the foundation of a background check which is commonly used by employers and Government bodies to reveal a prospective individual’s criminal past.

In its most basic sense, criminal records will contain a list of crimes committed by the subject individual. More detailed criminal records will include the specifics associated with the individual’s arrests as well as the attached outcomes.

Criminal records also list the basic information, such as the height, weight, and ethnicity of the subject individual. This information is used to create a description of the individual. This description is attached to an address which enables law enforcement agencies to locate assailants in an expedited fashion.

Criminal records are a part of the public domain, meaning they are stored in a municipality’s database and can be reviewed by any member of the public. This, however, is not the case with juvenile records, which are sealed and only accessible under specialized circumstances.

An individual can view someone’s criminal record by filing a records request with the applicable local municipality. In addition to the request, the observer will have to pay a small fee.


What is a Criminal Record?

A criminal record is a legal document which provides information about someone’s history of criminal activity or contact with law enforcement agencies and the broader legal system. A criminal record contains an assortment of information. Oftentimes these forms of information vary depending on the age of the underlying individual and the country.

Criminal Records are utilized to conduct background checks, which are formal investigations of an individual’s past in regards to any illegal actions committed. Criminal records, therefore, are the foundation of a background check which is commonly used by employers and Government bodies to reveal a prospective individual’s criminal past.

In its most basic sense, criminal records will contain a list of crimes committed by the subject individual. More detailed criminal records will include the specifics associated with the individual’s arrests as well as the attached outcomes.

Criminal records also list the basic information, such as the height, weight, and ethnicity of the subject individual. This information is used to create a description of the individual. This description is attached to an address which enables law enforcement agencies to locate assailants in an expedited fashion.

Criminal records are a part of the public domain, meaning they are stored in a municipality’s database and can be reviewed by any member of the public. This, however, is not the case with juvenile records, which are sealed and only accessible under specialized circumstances.

An individual can view someone’s criminal record by filing a records request with the applicable local municipality. In addition to the request, the observer will have to pay a small fee.

NEXT: Can I Apply for a Job with a Criminal Record?

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