Criminal Records in Florida

Criminal Records can be Accessed through the Florida Department of Law Enforcement
Floridians who wish to conduct a criminal records search in the state of Florida must go through the Florida Department of Law Enforcement or FDLE, which handles all requests in this regard. The FDLE provides a database of criminal records as well as a sex offender registry, both which can be accessed on any computer through their website. The sex offender registry can be viewed without charge while criminal histories can be reviewed for a small fee.

How to Begin a Search
If you want to access criminal records online, you'll need to download a request form. For an off-line, search, you'll need to mail in the form and include the assessed fee in your correspondence to the department. Agency offices can be found throughout the state that provide background check services as well.

Accessing Records
For a name-based search, you'll need to pay $24 for each name. Even if you don't locate the record of the name you are searching, you won;t be able to obtain a refund. However, the system does offer all the available matches of a search and allows users to select which records they wish to retrieve.

Law enforcement officials and certain employers are allowed to access criminal records using a fingerprint-based search. For further information, you can contact the criminal history services department at 850-410-8109.

All Searches Tie in to the Fingerprints that are on File
The Criminal Justice Information Services (CJIS) database that is used by the FDLE is a comprehensive collection of all fingerprint-based arrests. So, if the fingerprint information of an inmate was lost or not entered by law enforcement officials, the history will not appear when you conduct a search.

Searching Inmate Records
The Florida Department of Corrections (or FDOC) is a massive prison system with close to 150 facilities found in the state. Correctional locations consist of prison camps, work release programs, and state-run prisons. If you are seeking information about a particular inmate, then access is available through the FDOC's website. Searches are available to the public and feature several databases of records segregated into such classifications as incarcerated inmates, release date details, escape information, and fugitive data. You'll need to have the inmates ID number or personal details, such as date of birth, in order to conduct a search.

Records Include Prisoners that are Currently Incarcerated or who Have Already been Released
The expansive computerized system used by the FDOC provides information and photos of prisoners currently serving time as well as details on offenders that have already been released or are scheduled for release.

Contact the FDOC by Mail or Phone if you don't Want to Request Records Access by Email
If you don't want to send a records request via email to the FDOC, then you can contact the department by correspondence or by phone. The address for the central office of the FDOC is 501 South Calhoun Street in Tallahassee (zip 32399-2500). They can be contacted by phone at 850-488-5021.