How to Find and Access Georgia Criminal Records

A Georgia criminal history record contains information about an individual’s identification details and personal information such as name, Social Security number, date of birth, race, sex, weight, height and so on. It contains information on an individual’s arrest details which includes arrest charges, date of arrest and the arresting agency. The criminal history record also keeps an account of any details on judicial dispositions reported by a prosecutor, a court or any criminal justice agency, or any state law enforcement agency, and whether the individual has any conviction or served term in a state correctional facility in Georgia.

Georgia First Offender Act

According to this act, an offender who has not been incarcerated before for any felony charges can be put on probation, with his consent as a first time offender during a court verdict.

The arrest record of the subject is sealed when the first offender sentence is completed and the subject is discharged. However the Georgia Crime Information Center (GCIC) must receive an official notice about the successful completion of the First Offender Act requirements of the offender. The arrest record of the first time offender is not automatically sealed upon the completion of his probation sentence.

According to  the Georgia law ( O.C.G.S and 42-8-65(b) ), the Georgia Crime Information Center can change the first offender sentence to a conviction sentence if the individual commits another offense while the subject is still on probation for the first offense. State courts may also revoke a first time offender sentence due to unsatisfactory completion of the first time probation. For more information on Georgia First Offender Act you may contact the Georgia Crime Information Center at:

Georgia Crime Information Center
CCH/Identification Services, Supervisor
P.O. Box 370748
Decatur , Georgia 30037-0748
Fax: Criminal History/Identification Services, 404-270-8417
Email: gacriminalhistory@gbi.state.ga.us
Telephone Helpline: 404-244-2639
Website: http://gbi.georgia.gov/00/channel_modifieddate/0,2096,67862954_67866875,00.html

Obtaining a Copy of Georgia Criminal History Records

To obtain a copy of an individual’s criminal history, one has to contact the local Police Departments or the Sheriff’s office. The State of Georgia( O.C.G.A. and 35-3-34 (d.2) ) allows individuals to view and verify the criminal history records of other individuals such as felony arrest cases without the permission of the subject whose records is being checked.
To request a copy of a Georgia criminal history record of another individual you can use the Georgia felon search website: http://www.felonsearch.ga.gov/ for a fee of $15 to check if an individual has an arrest record.

Alternately, you need to pay a fee of $20 per request to obtain the criminal history record of any other individual from the law enforcement agencies. Along with the fee, you have to fill in essential details about the subject including his name, date of birth, race, Social Security number, sex, city or county in which the incident occurred, date of the incident and investigation date, and also a signed consent form from that individual.

For further information and specific requirements for obtaining a subject’s criminal history records in Georgia, please contact:

Open Records Unit
Georgia Bureau of Investigation
3121 Panthersville Road
Decatur, Georgia 30034
Fax: 404-270-8529
Email: OpenRecords@gbi.state.ga.us

If an attorney requests a client’s criminal history record in Georgia, he needs to submit the written request that includes details such as name, race, sex, date of birth, Social Security number if available, and the type case and mail the request with a processing fee of $15 payable to the Georgia Crime Information Center. The request needs to be sent to the following address:

Georgia Crime Information Center
CCH/Identification Services, Supervisor
P.O. Box 370748
Decatur, Georgia 30037-0748
Fax: Criminal History/Identification Services, 404-270-8417
Email: gacriminalhistory@gbi.state.ga.us
Telephone Helpline: 404-244-2639
Website: http://gbi.georgia.gov/00/channel_modifieddate/0,2096,67862954_67866875,00.html

Updating or Making a Correction to an Individual’s Criminal History Record in Georgia

To modify, correct, challenge, or report any missing information about the contents of your criminal history record in Georgia, you need to contact the relevant criminal justice agency or law enforcement agency in the state, inform them about the requisite changes and ask them to forward the request to the Georgia Crime Information Center on their official letterhead.
The Georgia Crime information center will not accept any request for an update or correction to the contents of an individual’s criminal history without the proper authorization and documentation of the correct submitting agency.

The update form should include details such as the date of birth, full name of the subject, sex, race, arrest date, Social Security number, state identification number and offender tracking number if available, along with the changes requested. For any queries contact the Georgia Crime information Center at:

Georgia Crime Information Center
CCH/Identification Services, Supervisor
P.O. Box 370748
Decatur, Georgia 30037-0748
Fax: Criminal History/Identification Services, 404-270-8417
Email: gacriminalhistory@gbi.state.ga.us
Telephone Helpline: 404-244-2639
Website: http://gbi.georgia.gov/00/channel_modifieddate/0,2096,67862954_67866875,00.html
Or

Open Records Unit
Georgia Bureau of Investigation
3121 Panthersville Road
Decatur, Georgia 30034
Fax: 404-270-8529
Email: OpenRecords@gbi.state.ga.us

To Obtain a Copy of Your Own National Criminal History Record

You can obtain a copy of your national criminal history record by sending a written request to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). To obtain a copy from the FBI for employment purposes, personal reasons or international work requirements, you have to furnish the following details:
1.    You need to provide an explanation of the reason for the request with your complete mailing address.
2.    The request must contain two copies of your fingerprint identification cards along with personal details such as date of birth, name, place of birth, race, sex, height, weight, eye color, Social Security number and so on.
3.    It should include a current set of ten rolled fingerprints and flat finger impressions of eight fingers. All the fingerprints and fingerprint impressions must be taken by a local law enforcement agency for them to be considered valid.
4.    The written request should also include a fee of $ 18 payable to the United States Treasury. The acceptable mode of payment is a money order or a certified check. Payment in cash or through credit card is not accepted.

The written request should be sent to the following address:

FBI
CJIS Division
ATTN: SCU, MOD.D-2
1000 Custer Hollow Road
Clarksburg, West Virginia 26303
Phone: 304-625-5590
Website: http://www.fbi.gov/hq/cjisd/fprequest.htm