Conducting a Texas Criminal Record Search

The state of Texas prides itself on its multi-ethnic society and steadfast economy. However, the state has to bear the brunt of dealing with a wide variety of crimes occurring within its borders. Every care is taken in order to ensure the security of its citizens by the state authorities. Accessing  the criminal records of Texas online is possible by logging in to https://records.txdps.state.tx.us/DPS_WEB/Cch/index.aspx. This facility is provided by the Texas Criminal Justice Information System (CJIS) in accordance with Chapter 60, Code of Criminal Procedure (CCP). It also happens to be one of the few states which will allow you to access private resources offering criminal record search facilities directly from the state repositories.  

Types of Records Online

The huge database containing all conviction records of Texas may be accessed by the general public at http://www.tdcj.state.tx.us/. Conducting a Texas criminal records search will help you to obtain relevant information on all arrests and public prosecutions which are criminal in nature. Class B misdemeanors as well as greater violations of the Texan law can be viewed online too. 

It is possible to obtain a list of sex offenders who reside in your neighborhood by conducting a proper search.  Various local criminal agencies as well as the judicial system report submit the registered information of known sex offenders in order to make the general public aware of local dangers. However, you can rest assured as far as the accuracy of records are concerned. Each and every arrest is taken into consideration while compiling the records despite the fact that quite a few of the individuals are found 'not guilty.' Another interesting fact is that the information continues to be displayed as a part of the Texas criminal records almost indefinitely.

Information Available

Although a search can be conducted by entering names or dates of birth, the records returned may not always be accurate or complete. The only authenticity that can be claimed through sex offender searches is by linking the individual to his fingerprint. However, errors may often creep in and you are free to report such inadvertent errors to the verification authority if they come to your attention.

The general public may take precautionary measures by going through the list of sex offenders. However, any attempt to stalk or threaten the individuals after accessing their records may make you liable to be prosecution under the laws of the state. Consequently, the sex offender’s Social Security number, driver's license number as well as his contact numbers are not displayed to the members of the general public.

Searching for Online Criminal Records

Conducting an online search is the easiest way of obtaining information about the criminals tried in Texas. However, this is certainly not the only means available. Offender information requests can also be made over telephone or by email if you do not find relevant results after conducting an extensive search.

It is possible to search by either the first name or the last name, though it is advisable to include both fields if you want a relevant search result. Entering the race as well as the sex of the convicted person will help you to limit your search results appreciably. It is also perfectly possible to obtain the desired result by inserting a wildcard character instead of the complete first name. TDCJ and SID numbers assigned during incarceration of an individual are unique and will make your search much easier if you happen to know them.