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Ultimate guide on how to access MS public criminal records, including details on warrants, criminal court docket and jail records!

In terms of ease of performing a criminal background search, Mississippi ranks very high in my list of states that simplify the investigation process for regular folks as well as professionals like me. In fact, this is one of the few states in which the law enforcement agencies of most counties provide access not just to their arrests records but also to their warrant list.

 

I agree that the criminal courts records that you find will have to be compiled to create a background profile. But, at least it isn’t all that hard to get your hands on the criminal records that you’d need for the job, as it is in some other states.

 

In this article, I am going to tell you about how you can do a search for arrests in MS, perform a warrant check, look for details on court cases and how you can initiate a state-level criminal background check. I always like to start with the information that is relatively easy to find, and in this case, that would be-

Arrest records from Mississippi

I have already told you that an arrest inquiry is going to be a cake walk. In case you want to know why, it’s because details on recent arrests in MS are a part of public criminal records. This gives law enforcement offices the hall pass to share a lot of the information from the police blotter with civilians.  Plus, the fact that the detainee is being held in custody means there is no scope of him running away.

 

That said, I would still say that it is imperative to start with a clear idea of the type and amount of data that you need. The thing is that when you initiate a search for arrest records, you are likely to receive two types of information from the inquiry.

 

• An arrest report on your subject: As the name suggests, this is a compilation of details pertaining to all the arrests in the name of the subject, no matter when the arrest was made and for what reason. The only limiting factor here is geography. By no means can you get information on arrests that did not occur in the county in which you have initiated the arrest search.

 

• The arrest log for the area: This is information pertaining to all arrests made in a specific area over a specified period of time. In this case, the limiting factor is time. Typically, law enforcement agencies will only provide details on arrests made in the recent past. For instance, some agencies will provide details on arrests last 24 hours to 72 hours, while others can go as far back as arrests last 5 days to 90 days.

 

An important thing to remember when you are looking for arrests records is that just because a person was detained by the police does not automatically mean that he/she is guilty.

 

Can I use Mississippi jail records in place of the arrest log?

I know that on the face of it, arrest records and jail records seem like the same thing, but they are not. Yes, one can be used in place of the other. In fact, often sheriffs’ offices will only provide their jail records instead of the arrest list for the area. However, each of these records serves a unique purpose. For instance:

 

• With jail records from MS: You get to know about individuals who are currently being kept in the county detention center. These may be people who have recently been arrested or those that are serving relatively shorter sentences for minor crimes or those who have not been granted bail or could not post a bond for their release.

 

Notice, how the date of arrest makes little difference. As long as they are currently in the county jail or were held there in the recent past, you will get to know about them through the jail records. Often, these records do not include information on people who have been released from the facility.

 

• From the arrest log: You will get details about all arrests made, regardless of whether they have since been released on bail or not. Similarly, you will find no mention of individuals who are serving time in the county jail after being convicted.

 

The arrest log will typically only contain basic information on an accused and the charges against him/her. At the most, you can expect to get the arrest mugshots. In contrast, with jail records, you will also be able to learn about the time that this person has spent in the detention center and the conditions for bail/bond amount.

 

 

What if I want to know about all arrests in Mississippi in the name of my subject?

 

There are three ways in which you can access subject-specific arrest records:

• You can get in touch with the local sheriff’s office. This agency can give you information on all accounts of arrests from their jurisdiction.
• The clerk of court’s office can also be approached for this information. However, you will have to find this data on your own by using the public service terminals in the agency office.
• You can file a formal request for a criminal background check with the MS Department of Public Safety.

How do I conduct an arrest inquiry online in MS?

 

The website of the sheriff’s office will usually have arrest booking information, either in the form of jail records or as a recent arrest list. Many agencies also provide the facility to look through their arrest history by using a search tool. Let me tell you how things work on this front in some of the counties of Mississippi.

1. Harrison County arrest records: The Sheriff’s Office of Harrison County offers their jail records on http://harrisoncountysheriff.com/harrison-county-inmate-search/. The webpage has a search tool that can be used to find specific records by using the name of the subject. The information offered in response to the arrest inquiry is quite in depth.

 

2. Madison County arrest report: You can find the current jail records from the Sheriff’s Department of Madison County at http://sheriffrandytucker.com/madison-county-detention-center/. Click on the link to access the arrest list, and from thereon, you can access the arrest records, including the charges, against every person on the list.

 

3. Hancock County arrest log: The Sheriff’s Office of Hancock County also provides their jail records in place of an arrest list at http://www.hancockso.com/InmateRoster/hancock_inmatelist.html. The search app of the agency is similar to the one offered by Harrison County SO. You can use the first or the last name of the subject to access his/her arrests records, which will include details on charges, arrest mugshots and more.

 

4. Arrests in Lauderdale County: The daily arrest records for Lauderdale County are not posted on the website of the Sheriff’s Office. These can be found on https://www.wtok.com/arrestreport. There is no search feature available as the arrest reports docket is offered in the form of a PDF file for each day.

 

 

Mississippi Arrest warrants

 

Like I mentioned above, information on arrest warrants sure is easy to come by when you are in MS. However, as in the other states, you are likely to come across different types of warrants. It is imperative to understand the implications of these warrants if you want to accurately construct the criminal profile of a subject.

 

That said, a common misconception is that the police are the only source of information on warrants because they are responsible in every way for these orders. The truth is that the police only serve these arrest orders. It’s the judiciary that is in charge of issuing all types of warrants.

Although the sheriff’s office does have a role to play in the issue of arrest warrants issued in connection with criminal offenses, the agency can merely file a request for the issue of the warrant. It is up to the judiciary whether to grant this request or not.

 

What are the different types of MS warrants?

 

I have already told you that the judiciary is exclusively in charge of the warrant issue process. So, it’s not the source of these orders that is responsible for the difference, rather the reason/offense in connection with which they are issued that leads to the variation. For instance:

 

1. Active warrants: If it’s a criminal offense that has led to the issue of the warrant, then the order will be known as an active warrant. Once issued, this order is handed to the police for execution. Active warrants have nationwide validity and no statute of limitations, which means that they stay in effect till the accused is arrested.

 

The police have to show that they have reasonable cause to believe that the accused has committed the crime in order for the court to consider the request for an arrest warrant. A person who has an active warrant against him can be arrested in any part of the country and extradited to the issuing state. Active warrants which are more than 6 months old are termed as outstanding warrants.

 

2. Bench warrants: These arrest orders are also known as justice warrants because they are issued by the bench. The police are not involved in any way in the issues process of bench warrants. However, the local law enforcement agency does shoulder the responsibility for serving such warrants. Bench warrants are issued when a court order is disobeyed and in case of violations of traffic laws and municipal ordinances.

 

How do I perform a Mississippi warrant check online?

 

If you want to perform a warrant search online, I highly recommend that you start at the website of the sheriff’s department of your county. For those of you who live in a city, you may want to visit the website of city police department first.

 

The most important thing to understand before you access the offerings of the warrant division is that not all law enforcement offices offer access to their complete list of arrest warrants. Many will only provide details on bench warrants and arrest orders issued in connection with misdemeanor offenses.

 

Another thing to consider is that smaller counties/cities with low crime rates may not have as many outstanding warrants to show. Having said that, take a look at how you can initiate a warrant inquiry online through the sheriffs’ departments of MS.

 

1. Oktibbeha County warrant lookup: You will find the warrant list for Oktibbeha County at http://sheriff.oktibbeha.ms.us/public/warrants. It’s updated every 2 days so you will get information on the latest warrants but most of them are bench warrants or arrest orders issued in case of minor misdemeanors. Although there is no search feature available, you will find information on violation and bail as well.

 

2. Tishomingo County warrants: The Sheriff’s Department of Tishomingo County does not provide its warrant database online. However, you can access information on arrests as well as active warrants by using their mobile app. Information on app download and use is available at https://www.tishso.org/page.php?id=15.

 

3. George County warrant list: You can search for arrest warrants from George County by using the name of the accused or date of order issue. The warrant inquiry page is available at http://georgecountymssheriff.com/warrants.php?orderby=1. In addition to this, the local sheriff’s office also provides information on the county’s most wanted at http://georgecountymssheriff.com/wanted.php.

 

4. Jones County warrants search: The Sheriff’s Office of Jones County offers information on the warrants in their criminal database at https://www.jonesso.com/warrants.php. At the time of writing this article, there were no warrants listed but they may be added in the future. The most wanted list at https://www.jonesso.com/wanted.php also has only a handful of suspects on it.

 

5. Clay county arrest warrants: You will find information on outstanding warrants from Clay County at http://www.claysheriffms.org/warrants.php?ltr=A. The warrant database can be searched by using the name of the accused or warrant issue date. Additionally, you can find information on the most wanted suspects at http://www.claysheriffms.org/wanted.php.

 

6. Adams County warrant lookup: The Sheriff’s Department of Adams County does not offer access to their warrant database. However, you can get some information on the outstanding warrants of the area from the most wanted list available at http://www.adamscosheriff.org/most-wanted-list/.

 

 

How is a Mississippi warrant roundup different from a warrant lookup?

 

By now, I am sure you know what a warrant lookup is. A warrant roundup has nothing to do with civilian access to information on arrest warrants. This is a procedure that exclusively involves law enforcement agencies. It is initiated to serve the outstanding warrants held by a law enforcement office.

 

Often more than one sheriff’s’ department is involved in the procedure and civilians are never kept in loop about when and how the warrant roundup will be started. So, while you have multiple options for a warrant lookup, you cannot and will not get details on a warrant roundup.

 

 

Court Records from Mississippi

 

Normally, judicial records aren’t all that hard to find, but things are different in Mississippi. The first time I did a judiciary case search, I was surprised at how difficult it is to find any information pertaining to court cases. The problem is that Mississippi is still working on its Central Court Connect System. So, the Court Access Network does not as yet include the trial courts of all counties in the state.

 

In my opinion, the problem is further compounded by the fact that local judicial agencies haven’t made any efforts thus far to provide the facility for courts records search online. In fact, if you get in touch with the Clerk of Court for your county, chances are that you will be asked to visit the agency office to access the judicial records you need.

 

As far as the Court Access System is concerned, it is designed keeping in mind the requirements of the legal community, read attorneys, and not those of civilians. So, criminal court records, even when available, are very concise. Moreover, there is a hefty fee to pay; I will come to this a bit later in this section. In fact, even access to a criminal docket comes at a price.

 

What exactly is a Mississippi criminal court docket?

 

The simplest definition of a docket is a record of the proceedings of court cases. But, the information captured can differ significantly from one jurisdiction to the other. For instance, the office of one court clerk may only provide the names of the defendant and the judge and the date of hearing, while another may also offer information on the charges and trial proceedings along with all other details.

 

To my knowledge, at this time, only two agencies offer free criminal docket lookup facility. However, the information provided is limited to the most recent cases.

 

1. The Clerk of Courts Office of Harrison County: You can find a court docket by using the tool at http://co.harrison.ms.us/dockets/. From the drop down menu choose the court system to access the dockets for the circuit, county or justice courts, all of which hear criminal as well as civil matters.

 

2. The Court Clerk for the City of Gulfport: You can access information on a criminal court docket by using the search facility at http://www.gulfport-ms.gov/Court_dockets.shtml. The agency only offers information on cases heard in the two weeks preceding the inquiry.

How can I access the Mississippi Courts Open Access System?

 

Online court records can be accessed through the Mississippi Electronic Courts System. You can register for the service at https://www.pamecapps.mec.ms.gov/onlinereg/. Choose the option “non-attorney” and then click on “enter” to get to the registration page for individuals and private corporations.

 

 

You will have to pay a $10 annual subscription charge as well as an additional fee of $0.2 per page viewed/downloaded/printed. If your search does not return any results, you will still be charged $0.2 for the inquiry. The PAMEC (Public Access to Mississippi Electronic Courts) system provides a judiciary case search feature as well as access to the court docket database of trial courts of all the participating counties/courts.

 

Is there any other option for court records search in MS?

 

Some of the counties in the state offer their own case lookup facility. Unfortunately, the service costs more than the PAMEC system. Only one county offers this service for free, and I will tell you about it later. But aside from this county, you will have to pay a monthly/ annual subscription fee to access the court records search facility.

 

The thing to understand here is that while the case lookup service of individual counties will only get you information pertaining to criminal and/or civil matters heard by the local courts, the PAMEC system allows you to access the central court repository, which contains details on all cases heard by the participating courts. Having said that, here is a list of counties that offer the facility for a local court case search:

 

Desoto County courts records: The judiciary of Desoto charges a bit less for their case lookup service at $25/monthly or $300 annually. The case lookup tool is available at http://www.deltacomputersystems.com/ms/ms17/mclinkquerycr.html, but this is a subscription-only service, so use the link on the page to register before trying to access public court records from their database.

 

Lowndes County judicial records: This facility is offered by the Circuit Court Clerk of Lowndes, and the office charges $30/month or $360 per annum for the facility. You will find the link to the subscription page at http://www.deltacomputersystems.com/MS/MS44/index_circuit.html. The court repository only includes information on civil and criminal matters handled by the Circuit Court.

 

Lincoln County court case lookup: You can access Criminal Circuit Court case information by using the search tool at http://www.deltacomputersystems.com/ms/lccc/Mclinkquerycr.html. The services can be availed for a monthly fee of $30 or an annual subscription cost of $330. The link to the subscription form can be found on the search page.

 

Oktibbeha County judiciary case search: The Circuit Court Clerk of Oktibbeha charges $30 per month or $330 per year in subscription charges for the case lookup service. The search tool page which has the subscription form link is available at http://www.deltacomputersystems.com/ms/ms53/mclinkquerycr.html.

 

Pike County court cases inquiry: This service comes courtesy of the Clerk of Courts Office of the Criminal Circuit Court of Pike County. The charges are the same as those for Oktibbeha County and you will find the search page at http://www.deltacomputersystems.com/MS/MS57MAI/mclinkquerycc.html.

 

Lafayette County court records: And as promised, here is the name of that one county, which allows individuals to access felony court records for free. The search tool is available at http://www.deltacomputersystems.com/MS/MS36/MCLINKQUERYCR.HTML.

 

Criminal Records From Mississippi

 

And we have made it to the last section of this article. If you remember, I told you that I like to work my way up from the easiest to find information to the hardest to access information. A criminal background search in Mississippi can be quite hard to initiate.

 

But, before I give you the dirt on that, let me tell you why you would want to consider a criminal check in the first place. As I explained in the first two sections, you can easily get your hands on the arrest report and information on the arrest warrants against your subject.

 

In contrast, court records are hard to come by; consider criminal records to be an extension of these. When you initiate a criminal search, you are essentially asking for all information pertaining to every criminal act that a person was involved in or was accused of.  So, the response to a criminal check will contain:

 

• Details on all instances of the subject’s arrest.
• Information on all active warrants issued against the subject.
• Data pertaining to all criminal trials that the subject was involved in (as the defendant).
• Details on the outcome of such criminal court cases.
• Conviction and sentencing related data.
• Information about the eventual release of the subject, including conditions of release. (parole/probation).

 

Now, you are not only getting this information for one or two counties but for the entire state of Mississippi. Given the sheer amount of data included in the criminal history report, it comes as no surprise that a criminal search is hard to initiate.

 

That said, unlike other bits and pieces of public criminal records, the result of a criminal history inquiry is an official document that can be used for the purpose of employment, emigration and adoption, etc. this is not just information on your screen, but a report in black and white bearing the seal of a state agency.

Who should I approach for a criminal background check in Mississippi?

 

The facility for criminal records search is offered by the Mississippi Department of Public Safety’s Criminal Information Center (CIC). The agency offers a first person, finger print based criminal background search. So, you cannot find third party criminal records through this facility, unless you have a signed consent form from your subject.

 

CIC charges $32 for the check and the form for filing the request is available at https://www.dps.state.ms.us/wp-content/uploads/Authorization-form-fillable-2019.docx. Fingerprints can be submitted digitally or manually. You can get details about automatic fingerprinting centers and state approved agencies that can get the fingerprinting done at https://www.dps.state.ms.us/divisions/support-services/applicant-fingerprint-processing-section/. Typically, the local sheriff’s office ought to be able to help you out with the fingerprinting. However, they may charge a small service fee.

 

How can I initiate a local criminal case search in MS?

 

1. Madison County criminal records: The Records Division of the Madison County Sheriff’s Office offers background checks for various purposes. To perform a criminal records search, visit the agency office at 2941 U.S. Highway 51, Canton, MS 39046. They do not offer the facility to conduct third party criminal history checks. You will need to carry a valid, state issued photo ID along to file your request.

 

2. Harrison County criminal court records: The Sheriff’s Department of Harrison County provides criminal background checks exclusively for employment purposes. The applicant has to file the request for the inquiry in person. The form for filing the request is available on http://harrisoncountysheriff.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/Criminal_History_Request.pdf. Download and fill the form and take it to the law enforcement agency office at 10451 Larkin Smith Dr, Gulfport, MS 39503. Do take a state issued photo ID along.

 

3. Hancock County criminal background search: The Records Division of Hancock County Sheriff’s Department provides criminal checks as well as police reports. Before you visit their office, talk to them on 228-466-6900. They will, in all likelihood, call you to the Sheriff’s Office to file the request for the criminal search. The law enforcement agency works out of 8450 Hwy 90 Bay St. Louis, MS 39520.

 

4. Lee county criminal case search: The Sheriff’s Office of Lee County charges $5 for a local criminal history report. They only accept money orders. Plus, you will have to show up in person at the agency office with a photo ID in hand. The law enforcement office is located at 510 Commerce St, Tupelo, MS 38804.

 

5. Lowndes County criminal background check: The Records Section of the Lowndes County Sheriff’s Office is in charge of maintaining all criminal records for the agency and furnishing public criminal records in response to requests from civilians. You can get in touch with the agency at 527 Martin Luther King Jr Drive, Columbus, MS 39701. However, I highly recommend that you call them first on 662-328-6788 to understand the criminal check procedure.

 

 

Is there any option to access MS criminal records online?

 

Well, I can’t call this a full blown criminal search, but it is the only option available to find criminal public records online. The Mississippi Department of Corrections offers the facility to find information on offenders, who are currently serving time in state penitentiaries and those who have been released on probation, parole or after the completion of their sentence.

 

The criminal lookup tool can be found at https://www.ms.gov/mdoc/inmate. This is a simple app that requires the name or the offender ID of a person to launch the inquiry. The results include the full name of the offender along with his/her photograph, date of birth, details on the crime committed, sentencing date and place, sentence length and the name of the facility where the convict is currently being held.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/6″][/vc_column][/vc_row]