Where to Find and Search Indiana Criminal Records

Indiana criminal records are available to the general public of the state and can be accessed by just about anyone. Going through the criminal records of Indiana entails no charge although it is mandatory to pay a small administrative fee if you want to obtain copies of court documents. Apart from the courts, almost all law enforcement authorities maintain their own database of Indiana criminal records. Links to individual databases are included within the official judicial website. The authorities themselves also share the information with individuals in exchange for a nominal charge.

Police Records

The Indiana State Police maintains its own website (http://www.in.gov/isp) and helps the public by providing a criminal search facility. However, the resource is somewhat limited in nature and may not be sufficient for gaining information about every type of criminal offense committed in the state. Only felonies and Class A misdemeanor offender details are available from this website and the complete information regarding a particular offense can only be obtained if the related county shares its offender history with the official website. If you are interested in a record pertaining to a specific crime, you can directly request it from the State Police of Indiana by way of an e-mail. 

Availability of IN Criminal Records

With every Indiana criminal record being available from 1930 onwards, searching for offenders or the nature of offenses can help you conduct legal research for a variety of reasons. The criminal history continues to be stored in the Indiana police database indefinitely and can be accessed even after several years.

Although the state police and the governmental authorities of Indiana acknowledge the search results as official records, the results are not allowed to be used as evidence or referred to at any later date. They are only considered to be official during the time of the search. You also need to print out your results immediately after you conduct an extensive search through the state databases. There is absolutely no option of saving your search results within the resource once you log out of http://www.in.gov/ai/appfiles/isp-lch/.

Checking out the criminal records had been an arduous task until very recently; in the past, you had to visit the court premises yourself or request the individual law enforcement authorities to part with relevant information. Online search facilities have eased the process considerably and you can now safely conduct a preliminary investigation from your own home. Looking over a prospective business partner’s criminal indiscretions or conducting a check on the sex offenders still at large in your neighborhood will certainly help you to take adequate precautions in advance.