Obtaining Free Florida Criminal Records

The legislation in Florida decrees that all criminal records are to be made public knowledge. This is so that the information can be used to improve public safety and provide a way to check on criminals who presently live in society. As a result, a wide variety of criminal records can be accessed by the general public. In order to maintain this, the authorities in Florida keep detailed records of all criminal activities that pass through the legal system of the state. These records are made available on demand.

Method for Maintaining Criminal Records in Florida

Florida has a vast and efficient system in place to record and maintain criminal records. At the lowest levels of the law enforcement system, the local police departments, the highway patrol as well as the various sheriffs’ offices in the Florida counties keep individual records of all arrests made by them and all cases worked. Along with the records of actual criminals apprehended, they also maintain records about people who were acquitted post-arrest as well as unsolved cases of homicide and rape along with a possible list of suspects.

Since it is mandatory that the entire information system should be maintained centrally by the state, all the lower level agencies submit their monthly records to their respective state departments. Along with these records, the circuit courts and county courts of the state of Florida submit their own records. All the lower courts have their own data maintenance system where the details of each and every case passing through the legal system are kept, regardless of outcome. Additionally, the records of all inmates presently serving time in any Florida prison as well as those who have been freed are maintained. These records from the lower courts, prisons and the various law enforcement agencies are finally assimilated and a comprehensive database of Florida criminal records is formed.

State Departments Responsible for the Maintenance of Criminal Records

Under the Florida state laws, the public criminal records are maintained and made available by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. There is a special division in the department, better known as the Division of Criminal Justice Information Services (DCJIS), which specializes in the management and presentation of the information. It is their responsibility to maintain the information database and to perform corrections and updates when necessary. All requests for criminal records and related information are forwarded to the DCJIS for processing. The Florida Department of Law Enforcement can be found on the Internet at http://www.fdle.state.fl.us/.

Types of Florida Criminal Records Available

Since the Florida Department of Law Enforcement is responsible for making available all criminal records in the state, their website is an ideal guide to knowing the categories of criminal records that can be viewed. The various categories include:

* Sexual Offender Database- Lists all the sexual offenders and predators recorded in the state and their present whereabouts; there is also a threat level assigned to the offenders based on their criminal history and perceived danger to society.

* Criminal History Records- General criminal records which contain information from the Florida Department of Corrections (http://www.dc.state.fl.us/) as well as various criminal courts in the state

* Missing Children- Records of children missing in the state along with their last known location and circumstances

* Wanted/Missing Persons- This list includes people who are being looked for or criminals who are fugitives from the law. Since absconding criminals can be serious threats to society, the list is constantly updated.

* Unsolved Homicides- Cases of homicide where no one was convicted due to possible lack of evidence; suspects are listed with the relevant case details.

* Stolen Property- Cases of theft, regardless of scale, are recorded and kept in this category

* Career Offenders- This section contains records of the career offenders in the state.

Where and How to Obtain Florida Criminal Records

The Florida Department of Law Enforcement can directly be contacted in order to obtain criminal records in the state. The FDLE Criminal History Services Section is available at (850)-410-8109 or https://www2.fdle.state.fl.us/cchinet/. For information on the sex offenders in the state, you may get in touch with the Sex Offender/Sex Predator section at (850)-410-8572.

How to Obtain Florida Criminal Records for Free

The FDLE does not charge anything for public criminal records. However, when requesting records through the Criminal History Services Section, there is a fee of $24 charged for processing the records. It may be noted here that the Sex Offender/Sex Predator section does not charge anything for the information it gives out.

For free Florida criminal records, unofficial or private criminal records databases must be considered. Many private enterprises offer criminal records obtained from the state department to the user free of cost. However, such cases are only possible when electronic versions of records are being sought.

An Internet search will bring up all the relevant results and subsequently a privately-owned criminal records site may be used to get the required information free of cost. Such information can be invaluable for various purposes such as a background check of an employee in a company or household help. Information on a neighbor, a business associate, or an unknown person in the neighborhood may also be obtained through these channels.