Background Information
Having full knowledge of your criminal record can be very important as your criminal record can not only impact many aspects of your life, but also your eligibility to expunge an offense or your ability to be removed from the sex offender registry.
Even if you previously went to court, it is possible that you do not have a criminal record. For example, civil infractions are not criminal convictions. Civil infractions are offenses that do not carry the possibility of jail time as a penalty. Civil infractions can include traffic offenses, such as speeding, and non-traffic offenses, such as violations of city or township ordinances.
Michigan law also provides for some individuals to qualify for deferred sentences for some offenses to prevent entry of a criminal conviction. For example, if your case was disposed of under the Holmes Youthful Trainee Act under MCL 762.11, et. seq., (commonly referred to as “HYTA” or “TYA”), your case would not result in a criminal conviction unless the court terminated or revoked your status as a youthful trainee. MCL 333.7411 (commonly referred to as “7411”) is another popular example of a law that allows for qualifying first-time drug offenders to avoid a criminal conviction.
If you are unsure of what your criminal record consists of, there are several ways to obtain your criminal record.
Obtaining Your Criminal Record from the Michigan State Police
The Michigan State Police (“MSP”) maintains the Internet Criminal History Access Tool (“ICHAT”), which allows individuals to conduct name-based searches and can be easily accessed online at: . Anyone can perform a search through ICHAT for a fee of $10 each search. To complete a search, the individual’s full name and his/her date of birth is required, at a minimum. ICHAT allows individuals to search public criminal history record information maintained by the Michigan State Police, Criminal Justice Information Center. ICHAT does not include suppressed records, warrant information, federal records, tribal records, traffic records, juvenile records, local misdemeanors, or criminal histories from other states. If you have questions regarding ICHAT, please visit the “FAQs” tab on the ICHAT website or contact the Michigan State Police by using the “Contact Us” tab on the ICHAT website. .
Name Searches
The Michigan State Police (“MSP”) maintains the Internet Criminal History Access Tool (“ICHAT”), which allows individuals to conduct name-based searches and can be easily accessed online at: https://apps.michigan.gov/ichat/home.aspx. Anyone can perform a search through ICHAT for a fee of $10 each search. To complete a search, the individual’s full name and his/her date of birth is required, at a minimum. ICHAT allows individuals to search public criminal history record information maintained by the Michigan State Police, Criminal Justice Information Center. ICHAT does not include suppressed records, warrant information, federal records, tribal records, traffic records, juvenile records, local misdemeanors, or criminal histories from other states. If you have questions regarding ICHAT, please visit the “FAQs” tab on the ICHAT website or contact the Michigan State Police by using the “Contact Us” tab on the ICHAT website. An ICHAT search is the easiest and cheapest method of searching for your Michigan criminal record.
Fingerprint Searches
Individuals can request a fingerprint-based search through MSP’s Criminal Justice Information Center by mail. Fingerprint forms are available at local law enforcement agencies. The law enforcement agency will fingerprint you on a non-criminal card (RI-8 Fingerprint card). You can then mail the fingerprint card with a letter and the appropriate fee requesting what information you want (i.e. a certified copy of your complete criminal record) to the Criminal Justice Information Center.
For a list of contact information for the MSP Criminal Justice Information Center, click here.
Obtaining Criminal Records from Local Courts
If you are aware of your conviction(s) and know the specific court(s) where your criminal conviction(s) occurred, you can obtain records from that court. For more information, see our next post about obtaining information from the Court.
Obtaining Criminal Records from Private Companies
There are many private companies that provide criminal record searches online for a fee. We recommend starting with ICHAT, however, as the information is typically the most useful in pursuing a conviction or obtaining relief from the registry.
If you or a loved one are seeking relief from the Michigan Sex Offender Registry or want to look to expunge a crime from your record, call our office today. We have helped numerous clients obtain these results and we look forward to consulting with you about your case.