Access to public criminal records is a powerful way to protect your business and family, and free access to public criminal records online is becoming more and more accessible.

Criminal records serve as reference for people who need information about a certain person or organization. These public documents let you know if someone has ever been convicted of a crime, served time in jail or been convicted of a crime like driving under the influence of alcohol and drugs. Before you hire a nanny, driver, or sales cashier, you can have their background checked with public criminal records. On the other hand, if you are looking for a job or trying to rent an apartment, chances are, someone will be taking a look at your criminal record.

Criminal records are indexed by name. So, in order to get accurate results, you should obtain the exact spelling of the name. If the person had a different name at one time, that name should also be checked. In those jurisdictions where the clerk of court will be doing the research, a complete date of birth is required.

In most jurisdictions, some agencies are qualified to acquire online free public criminal records. If you want to get public criminal records requests for free, you must be one of the eligible agencies. Aside from that, you are also required to sign and return the affirmation statement in your subscriber application. There are others who offer both instant online access to extensive public criminal records and convenient access to county court records nationwide.