17 Things You Can Find in Criminal Records

Another type of genealogy record that provides tremendous value is criminal records. Some of our ancestors, unfortunately, got in trouble with the law. And records were kept from arrests through court cases to prison documents. Now, more and more of these records are being digitized or transcribed and are being made available online.

Here is a list of what information is in criminal records and where you can find these types of records.

Types of Records

• Criminal court proceedings
• Police reports
• Prison and jail admission registers
• Arrest records
• Mug books
• Pardon and discharge information
• Hospital record books
• Workhouse records
• Census records
• Burials in prison cemeteries

 Types of Information

• Name
• Age
• Birth date
• Height
• Weight
• Complexion
• Eye color
• Hair color
• Nationality
• Occupation
• Education
• Habits (alcohol use)
• Relations (parents living)
• Date incarcerated
• Court where charged
• Recommitments
• How and when discharged

To discover Free Online Criminal Records Collections, listed by state, click on the Criminal Records page on this website.

Download the Quicksheet PDF

To obtain the one-page Quicksheet pdf for easy reference of what information you can find and where to look, you can download it by clicking on the Download button below:

For all the previously published Quick Reference Guides, click on QuickSheets. 

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