Criminal Record Search: Everything You Need to Know About Criminal Record Reports
One of three Americans in the United States has a criminal past, meaning a third of Americans have been arrested. An arrest can end up in a conviction or an acquittal, and in most cases, both outcomes will be on an individual's criminal records.
If you want to find out if a person of interest in your life has a criminal record, the best way to perform the search is with ProPeopleSearch. With access to billions of public records, you will be able to perform an in-depth criminal record search that will help you discover the truth about people's criminal past.
Crime Trends in the United States
Each year, crime trends and crime stats in the United States are checked by the FBI and research centers. According to the PEW Research Center, the following are some of the surprising discoveries about crime trends in the United States:
There has been a substantial decrease in the number of crimes over the past quarter-century – according to FBI data, violent crime rates in the US have dropped by more than 50% since the 1990s. Similar trends were observed with property crimes, with a 54% decrease between 1993 and 2018.
Most reported crimes are unsolved and most crimes go unreported – only 34% of property crimes that occurred in 2018 were reported to the police, and 43% of violent crimes were reported in the same year.
The most common crimes in the United States are property crimes – with larceny-theft and burglary heading the list of the most common crimes in the country.
Criminal Records in the United States
Criminal records in the United States are available for public viewing as they are considered a matter of public safety. However, disclosure of public records varies between states. So, when searching for criminal records of an individual who moved from Alabama to Nebraska, the information you receive is subject to Nebraska laws and regulations.
Also, juvenile criminal records and expunged criminal records will not appear in a criminal record report. So, what can you find in a criminal record search? Here are some of the details that will show up on a criminal record search:
Personal information of the individual
The first, middle, and last name of the individual, as well as his/her aliases as obtained and registered by law enforcement agencies.
Felonies and misdemeanors
Felony crimes and misdemeanor crimes said person committed; you will receive a detailed report about the person's criminal past that includes the classification and nature of crimes he/she has committed
Traffic offenses
Traffic offenses the individual has been accused or charged for, including accidents, parking tickets, speeding tickets, and more
Sex crimes
Information about sex offenders is available to the public, and it is provided in a criminal record check. Sexual offenders who have been convicted of committing sex crimes will have their records made public unless ordered otherwise. The criminal sexual history in a criminal record includes the name of the offender, their contact information, mugshot, and the crime he/she was convicted of performing.
Court information
Court records are available to the public, so a criminal record report will include:
- The city where the individual attended court
- The county where the individual attended court
- The state where the individual attended court
Arrest Records Vs. Criminal Records – What is the Difference?
Aside from convictions, a criminal record report also provides information about arrests. However, that is not to say that a certain individual has indeed committed a crime; an arrest means that the person that you are searching for was taken into custody as a suspect of a crime. Not all arrests result in trial, conviction, or incarceration.
A conviction means that a person who was arrested was found guilty of committing a crime, meaning he/she is not merely a suspect, but found guilty of a crime under state/federal laws.
How to Get the Best Criminal Record Search Service?
If you want to find out if a certain person has a criminal record and if so, what crimes are in the record, you can perform an online criminal record search with ProPeopleSearch. Other ways of finding criminal records are:
- State government websites
- Federal government websites
- Country sheriff's department
- Third-party background check agencies
- County clerk's office
Each of these five methods will provide you with the information you need, however, you will have to wait several weeks and pay for each copy of a file/record that you request. For a quick criminal records check, you can use ProPeopleSearch's criminal search directory. The search engine aggregates information from billions of public records in a matter of minutes, so you will get quick access to the criminal history files of whoever you desire.
