How you can legally obtain any ones criminal background in New York State

I think it’s important for people to be able to legally obtain criminal background checks on others — whether it be an employer or a concerned citizen. You can request these criminal records regarding any person that had a court case in the State of New York. You could request the criminal record of a president, yourself, a family member, a sex offender, etc. So here’s how to do it:

Step 1.) Visit https://www.nycourts.gov/criminal-history-record-search

Step 2.) Enter the required information regarding you subject/person.

Step 3.) Pay the $95.00 fee. Yes, its absolutely outrageous that NYS charges such a fee when this information is pulled directly from a database NYS maintains. Quite crazy, considering NYS boasts about being transparent. I suppose transparency comes at a significant costs for most New Yorkers.

Step 4.) If you opted to receive the report via email –the report will be sent directly to the email you provided.

In the below instance – my family requested my sister’s criminal history report. It provides you with the disposition (outcome) of the case, docket number, and OCA (office of court administration remarks). Again — you can do this for anyone who had or has a case in the NYS Court system. In my opinion, the fee should be free or minimal.