How to Find, Access and Understand Information in Mississippi Arrest Records

Mississippi arrest records can be of immense help when you are looking forward to conducting a background check on an individual. The arrest records in the state are maintained by the Criminal Information Center of the Office of Administrative Operations division of the Mississippi Department of Public Safety http://www.dps.state.ms.us/dps/dps.nsf/main?OpenForm. 

The Criminal Information Center, or CIC, is in charge of making information related to crime and criminals accessible to the public.  The Center is comprised of several units, namely the Applicant Fingerprint Processing Section, Automated Fingerprint Identification System (AFIS) Section, Document Review and Entry Section, Special Processing Section and Sex offender Registry Section.  Mississippi arrest information can be very useful for the public--especially employers who need to do a quick check before recruiting a complete stranger.
 

How to Obtain Mississippi Arrest Information

There are several ways in which you can obtain Mississippi arrest records. You can get in touch with the AFIS section by mailing your application to afis@mdps.state.ms.us or calling 1-800-594-3997 during business hours. You can even send them a fax at 601-933-2661. The information that you want to collect would then be sent to the Mississippi Highway Patrol, or MHP, district substation where your local agency can collect the same.

If you want to receive the request through another agency, you can specify this in your application. Your agency can collect the same information from the MHP substation within a span of 10 business days.

Necessary Forms Online

If you are searching for a MS arrest card request form, then visit http://www.dps.state.ms.us/dps/dps.nsf/mailcards?OpenForm. On this page, submit the required information about the concerned agency, the point of contact and phone number. If you wish to be contacted by the Criminal Information Center directly, you can state your choice in the form itself.

For an applicant card, you need to contact the FBI for Form FD-258. You can call them at 304-625-3983 or send a fax to 304-625-3884. The Originating Agency Identifier, or ORI, number needs to be furnished at this time. In case you do not have it, you can send an email to mjic@mdps.state.ms.us for assistance.

Who Can Access Arrest Records

As a resident of Mississippi, you can access the arrest records maintained by the state repository. The availability of these criminal records is in accord with the Constitution of the state, which calls for open courts and accessible court records as per the Mississippi Public Records Act, Miss. Code Ann, § 25-61-1.

The Administrative Office of Courts (AOC) also maintains data related to criminal activities and arrests which are included in the Supreme Court Annual Report. You can access the report from their website at http://www.mssc.state.ms.us.

You can request from the AOC a copy of a particular document. The request is processed after the payment of a specified fee. The person in charge of maintaining the records may also deny a request if it is found to hamper an ongoing case proceeding. Requests for relevant court documents can be submitted to the Administrative Office of Courts, Post Office Box 117, Jackson, MS 39205-0117.  You can also get in touch with them by dialing 601-576-4635.

What Does Mississippi Arrest Information Include?

Information on an inmate's arrest can be requested from the Mississippi Department of Corrections website by clicking on http://www.mdoc.state.ms.us/InmateTest.asp. Just type in the first and last name of the inmate and click on the ‘find’ option. The search results will list the inmate along with his or her ID, the location at which the individual is serving his/her incarceration, the term for which the individual has been sentenced and the offense for which the inmate has been serving a prison term.

Information on parolees is also an important aspect of Mississippi arrest records. The data can be accessed from the website of the parole board. An inmate may become eligible for a parole after serving a part of his or her sentence depending on issues like the nature of the crime committed, date of committing the crime, the sentence and criminal history.

In order to find out information about a parolee, you can visit http://www.mpb.state.ms.us/inmatesearch.asp and fill in the required details like last name, city and county. This will give you details about the parolee including his native city, county of supervision and the Mississippi Department of Corrections identity number.  In you want to know more about arrested inmates serving a parole term, you can send a request by mail to: State of Mississippi Parole Board, 201 West Capitol Street, Suite 800, Jackson, MS 39201, or call them at (601) 354-7716.

Records of Mississippi arrests feature information about Mississippi sex offenders as well. Sex offenders pose a big threat to the well-being of the community and therefore it is necessary to identify them. The arrest records pertaining to sex offenders are also maintained by the Mississippi Department of Public Safety. The information is updated on a regular basis and this ensures that you are alerted as soon as a sex offender moves into the neighborhood.

Arrest information is submitted to the Mississippi Department of Public Safety by the local law enforcement agencies and therefore their authenticity cannot be questioned. If you are looking to search for such offenders, just mail in your request to: Department of Public Safety, Sex Offender Registry, PO Box 958, Jackson, MS 39205 or log in to http://www.sor.mdps.state.ms.us/sorpublic/hpsor_search.aspx. On this webpage you will come across a form that would help you to locate an offender along with the instructions to complete the form. You need to fill in the full name, city, county, zip code and state information of the suspect and click on the ‘search’ option.