Kentucky Criminal Records

Kentucky criminal records are stored in several major government databases. These sources of Kentucky criminal records deal mostly with convictions so they may not contain all the information that you need. Still, if you're looking for a place to start, then these are good ways to begin your search for Kentucky criminal records.

But before we go on and launch a series of sources you can check out, let us define a few terms first. We have made mention earlier about Kentucky convictions, how most databases that are publicly accessible contain only records of convictions. But what are convictions anyway? And how are they different from Kentucky criminal records?

In legal terms, a conviction is a judgment passed down from a court indicating that the person in question is guilty of a crime or an offense. A conviction may also be due to the fact that the defendant pleaded guilty to a crime. All Kentucky convictions are Kentucky criminal records, however, not all Kentucky criminal records are convictions. Sometimes, when a person who is arrested for a particular crime or misdemeanor may not be found guilty of such by a court and thus is not convicted. Still, the arrest record would appear on his Kentucky criminal records.

The Four Levels of Kentucky Criminal Records

There are actually four levels of Kentucky criminal records. Knowing the difference between these four could help you in your search for Kentucky criminal records.

The first level of Kentucky criminal records is the arrest record. Arrest records are usually documents at the county jail level. The good thing about arrest records is that they are first-hand information recorded on a piece of paper, which further means that you are truly getting your information at the source. Depending on the seriousness of the crime and evidences found, arrest records may be reported to the nearest county court for arraignment.

When an arrest record is sent to court to be reviewed by the presiding judge, the report is jotted down by the court clerk and is filed away as a court record. Court records are perhaps the best way to verify if a Kentucky criminal action has been initiated by someone. You can check out any of the county courts, circuit courts, or district courts for Kentucky criminal records.

Prison records are the third level of Kentucky criminal records. After a court case has been filed and a sentence of imprisonment has been passed, details of the case will be sent to the Kentucky Department of Corrections where it will be stored in their prison record database. The Department of Corrections is also a good source of Kentucky criminal records and the good thing about their database is that their files include photos of the criminal in question.

And fourth and final level of Kentucky criminal records is the state database. This serves as the central repository of all Kentucky criminal records, including arrest records, court records, records of imprisonment, and the like.