Search For Illinois Criminal Records

It was in 1991 when the UCIA became a law in Illinois. The UCIA or Uniform Conviction Information Act allows the Illinois criminal records with conviction to be made into public property. This means that the records that were collected by the police department of Illinois are available for the public’s inspection. Criminal Records checks or background checks are important as these can show the history of a person’s background and whether he or she has been arrested and for what case(s). The Illinois State Police or ISP currently has two forms that one can use to obtain the records – A Fingerprint Conviction Form and a Non-Fingerprint Form. Requests made through the ISP should be placed using these forms as each of the form has a different processing control number.
To request using the non-fingerprint form, the person requesting should submit as many details or information of the person they are looking for. This option might not be efficient if one is looking for convicted criminals or sexual offenders as these people more often than not use alias and different names. Cost for the processing is $16 and $30 for cheques that are not drawn from a US bank. A more reliable search may be made if one will use the fingerprint request form. The ISP will search their fingerprint database record for the person being requested. The cost for the processing is $20 and $50 for checks not drawn from a US bank. The ISP accepts payment through credit cards, checks and money orders.
Only one name per request is accepted; however, the ISP accepts multiple requests and a single check to pay for the entire request. One should re-check the information before submitting to the ISP as the fee would not be refunded for requests that are incomplete.
In case those who request background checks on themselves find some inconsistencies with their records, they might request to view and challenge their records with the local enforcement agency. The agency will then process a fingerprint-based inquiry and would send the details to the person within 60 days. The person can view their file in the agency themselves and make corrections if necessary. There are no fees being charged by the ISP; however, the law enforcement agency might charge the person to cover the cost of the fingerprint.
To get a copy of one’s criminal records from the FBI, they can send a request to the FBI introducing themselves, their contact info as well as their own fingerprints. The cost of the request is $18 and payments made through money orders, credit cards or checks are accepted. The processing for the report will take about 8 to 10 weeks upon the receipt of the request.
One can also obtain a criminal record from the local enforcement agency where the case was filed. The police have arrest records public searches that one can check for criminal or sex offenders. For a more expedient way of accessing criminal records, one can also do online records search. There are plenty of sites that do offer public search records free or for a small fee for complete reports.