Criminal records contain a wide variety of types of information and files contained in a person’s past regarding any criminal activity they may have been involved in. This can be of interest if you need to confirm your own official records , or learn more about a potential mate or new neighbor , for example.Criminal records contain a wide variety of types of information and files contained in a person’s past regarding any criminal activity they may have been involved in. This can be of interest if you need to confirm your own official records , or learn more about a potential mate or new neighbor , for example. It’s important to remain educated on what details may be accessed without that person’s knowledge because they are free to the public , and which ones may be unavailable for review. Sex offenders , criminal deviants , drunk driving histories and assault and battery offenders can all pose a threat to your family and personal property.Information Contained in a Criminal RecordA criminal record can include warrants and arrests , incarceration information from jails and prisons , probation records or drunk driving records. Court records often contain details such as the charges against the person , dates of court appearances , any pleas entered into the court , attorney information , sentencing and current disposition of the case. For example , if someone was arrested for drunk driving , you could access the arrest date and charge , court appearance dates , and whether he was sentenced to prison time , had his license revoked or suspended , and if there were any fines imposed on him , community service time or probation sentences.A sex offender’s criminal record is very public by nature due to the national and state sex offender registries. By law , a convicted sex offender must register their information with local authorities and maintain changes in information such as place of work or address. This way , you can access many registries to find out how many sex offenders live near your home , work or even when your children attend school.Arrest Records: A Word of CautionArrest records are part of the public record database that includes several details regarding the circumstances surrounding someone’s arrest , unless redacted from public view by the judge. Some locales offer a mug shot and/or physical description of the person , but others may only offer this information only if the person is currently in custody or on parole.Dates of arrest and relative charges , city and state of the arrest are included in arrest records. You may also find past arrest warrants in the record or even current outstanding warrants that have yet to be served. However , the information in an arrest record does not mean the person was guilty of the crime being charged.When a person’s arrest record lists a past arrest and charge , you may need to do a little more digging into court records to determine if they were found guilty of the crime. Just because someone was arrested on assault or murder charges , for example , does not mean he is guilty of the crime. Only complete court records available at the local courthouse can detail this information for you. They can often be tracked using a corresponding case or record number , which you can take to the court clerk and request copies of court transcripts and record entries to complete your search for criminal records.