Florida Criminal Records - Online Or Not?

Florida criminal records are public records, which are accessible by anyone. However, because of the opposition within the state, they have not been made available on the Internet. Nonetheless, there are numerous other sources of information online regarding the Florida judicial system and court opinions that can help you.

Florida criminal records can still be obtained through the traditional way. You can visit the county courthouse or submit a written request. However, recent public outcry has placed a halt on allowing Florida criminal records to be placed online.

FL Criminal Records - The Debate Concerning Online Access

The warm and sunny state of Florida is located in the south eastern part of the United States. The judicial system of Florida is headed by the Supreme Court, made up of a Chief Justice and six justices. At this point, there has been some internal dispute regarding placing court records for the state of Florida online. They are temporarily unavailable on the website of the Florida judicial system, but they can still be requested through the county courthouse.

Most of the concern regarding allowing court records to be placed online has been balanced with the need to improve transparency and accountability of the judicial system in the state. People have also voiced their fears about being targeted by consumer companies and by giving anyone the freedom to create a dossier about anyone in the state of Florida. Because of this, online court records for Florida are currently inaccessible until this issue is resolved.

However, other court documents are available through the website of the Florida Supreme Court and through Florida State University. This includes opinions on court cases, which can be an excellent foundation for legal research. You can also phone each of the individual county courthouses to request for additional information regarding requesting for court records for Florida. It can be a tedious process, but if you are patient and persistent, then you will be able to find all the information that you need. The only limitations would be sealed criminal records and juvenile crime records, which are not publicly accessible to look after the privacy of the individuals involved in these cases.

There are two kinds of Florida criminal records that are available. Misdemeanors are less serious crimes, usually involving a fine, a brief sentence or a probationary period as the punishment. On the other hand, felonies are far more serious crimes with penalties including a period of jail time, larger fines and in some cases, the death penalty. Misdemeanors usually entail jail time of less than a year, while felonies have jail time of longer than this. Depending on the severity of the crime, there may also be a different court handling this.

Useful Florida Criminal Records Links:

Florida Department of Corrections
Florida Crime Information Center Public Access System

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