Common Difficulties When Searching for Court Records

If you’ve found yourself in the position where you need to find court records in someone’s past, you may be a little frustrated. While there are modern technologies available to help you with your search, there are also many hang-ups in the system. For instance, while some individuals may have a criminal record, their information may not show up in a general court records search. One way that this might happen is if the individual was tried in a different court, such as family court due to a domestic violence situation.

Another problem is that many court records do not show up if they’re more than seven years old. An individual’s record could come back blank, indicating that he or she does not have a criminal past, but it could be that the information is too old and not able to be accessed. This can be rather frustrating, especially if you need all of the information about the individual and his or her past.

Some individuals will be unable to find relevant records if they’re not certain exactly which county to look in. Since many records are kept by county, and many records are searched based on counties, it can be difficult to find what you’re looking for without that exact information. Other times, one needs to know the general time to search under – such as which month and year the records may be present in. This in combination with the other difficulties can make finding certain records nearly impossible.

Finding out as much as you possibly can about the individual you’re researching can help. If you can get specific information, such as social security numbers, date of birth, physical description and other similar information – it will be easier to find relevant records. There are many sites online that allow individuals to search for court records, and most of these sites charge a small fee. While these sites can be quite helpful, it’s important to remember that you will probably end up paying the fee, even if you’re unable to find the records you’re looking for. That said, even with the common difficulties, these services are very helpful to certain individuals.