Learn How to Find, Access and Use Information in Illinois Arrest Records

All Illinois arrest records can be accessed by the general public and are readily available over the Internet. Well over 6 million people are imprisoned every year by the law enforcement authorities of the state. A few of the offenders are on parole or probation, and a quite a few of the arrests made by the Illinois enforcement agencies constitute of repeat offenders.

However, the privacy of an individual cannot be compromised according to the laws of Illinois. Hence, conducting a background check by obtaining an arrest record of an individual is not possible without his consent. Illinois arrest records are usually viewed for purposes of employment, although having an arrest record will not necessarily negate your chances for landing a job.

Statistics of the U.S. government reveal that at least 200,000 persons on average are arrested by various enforcement agencies every year in Illinois. Quite a number of them are held by correctional personnel as well.

This rate of crime is pretty high for a state having a population of just over 3 million. The total crime rate has in fact been well over the national average. Despite this, there has actually been a decrease in the number of Illinois arrests recently. The arrest records of 1990 show that 1237 people were arrested per 100,000 of the population in the entire year. However, the statistics for 2002 show a 28% decline with the actual figures coming down to 897 per 100,000 people.

Purpose for Accessing Arrest Records

Going through the Illinois arrest records will enable you make the right decision if you are considering a new employee or business partner. Stepping up the security measures in order to protect yourself as well as your family from habitual offenders is another reason for viewing the arrest records regularly. Suspicious neighbors or live-in nannies with an arrest record may prove to be undependable. It is best to verify the veracity of your tenant on basis of his arrest record if you are about to rent out a portion of your house as well.

Individuals having an arrest record need not be convicted or imprisoned. These records reflect the data of arrests by the enforcement agencies only and can be expunged successfully if the offender is found to be innocent of the crime.

Sources for Obtaining Illinois Arrest Records

The various law enforcement agencies of the state are required to keep their databases updated regularly. The information pertaining to offenders as well as arrest records are often shared amongst the various agencies of the State of Illinois. Apart from the official departments, certain individuals are permitted to gain access the Illinois arrest records too.

  Although the arrests of offenders fall within the jurisdiction of the state, the FBI needs to be notified about each and every arrest made by the local authorities. This is mandatory for all states including Illinois. The U.S. Department of Justice is also duly informed every time the Illinois Arrest records are updated.

The only authentic resource to look for records of Illinois arrests is the official website of the state police. Going through the site can help you uncover arrest records for every kind of offense imaginable. You can visit http://www.isp.state.il.us/crimhistory/crimhistoryhome.cfm in order to check out the criminal records history of an arrested offender. You also need to pay $16 to initiate your search. The payment is considerably higher for people paying by non-United States checks, up to $30.

It is also possible to obtain information about convictions by obtaining a Uniform Conviction Information Act  (UCIA) sheet. You can simply order one online by accessing http://www.isp.state.il.us/services/uciaformreq.cfm. If you are reluctant to order it through the Internet you can order it by writing to the Illinois State Police, Bureau of Identification, 260 North Chicago Street, Joliet, Illinois 60431-1060. They can also be contacted over the telephone at (815) 740-5216. The department remains open on all weekdays from 8 A.M. to 4 P.M.

Accessing Arrest Records in the State of Illinois

Accessing arrest or conviction records without fingerprint information entails submitting a request on Form ISP6-405B. The search is usually based on common identifying parameters like name, age, sex, race and date of birth. You need to specify the identifiers on which your search will be based in the request form itself. It is essential to check out all your facts before requesting a non-fingerprint search process. Most hardened criminals use aliases and tracing them by names only may prove difficult by this procedure.

You can also submit a search request for Illinois Arrest records on Form ISP6-404B which will initiate a fingerprint-based search of the criminal as well as the arrest record histories present in the database of the State Police of Illinois. The entire process of fingerprint tracking normally returns positive results as the fingerprints provided in the request form are matched with those present in the police database. The fee for such a search request is usually $20, with the amount going up to $50 if the check is not drawn on a bank in the United States.