Find Arkansas Criminal History Records
Arkansas Criminal History records trace arrests, court cases, inmate custody, and conviction data tied to people in the state. You can look up a name through the state court case portal, search a county jail roster, pull a fingerprint based Arkansas Criminal History check from the State Police, or request reports from a local police department. This page walks through every main way to find Arkansas Criminal History data, which office holds which record, and what forms or fees you should expect. Each county and city has its own page as well with local contact info.
Arkansas Criminal History Overview
Where Arkansas Criminal History Is Kept
Arkansas Criminal History data sits in a few places. The Arkansas State Police Identification Bureau holds the state fingerprint based repository and runs the official record check. The Arkansas Crime Information Center, or ACIC, runs the central repository and several public tools built on top of it. Each of the 75 Circuit Clerks holds the felony court files for their county. Each county Sheriff holds jail booking logs and warrants. City police departments file their own reports and arrest logs.
For a name based search that is free, most people start with the Arkansas Judiciary case search. You can check the Search ARCourts portal for open and closed cases in the circuit courts, some district courts, and participating city courts. The portal shows party names, charges, hearings, dispositions, and attached documents for many cases. The Arkansas Supreme Court and court system sit behind this tool through the Arkansas Judiciary website, which also lists rules, forms, dockets, and opinions.
The site below is the main landing page for the state court system. Most case lookups pass through this gateway, and it links out to the Search ARCourts tool. Review the site before you start a broad search so you know what records you can expect to find.
The page above is a snapshot of the Arkansas Judiciary website. From here you can open the case search, read court orders, or find a local Circuit Clerk. Much of the Arkansas Criminal History you will find online starts at this site.
Note: For a certified record you must order from the Arkansas State Police or the Circuit Clerk. The free portals show case data but do not issue certified copies.
Arkansas State Police Criminal History Check
The Arkansas State Police Identification Bureau runs the official fingerprint based Arkansas Criminal History check. The bureau sits at 1 State Police Plaza Drive, Little Rock, AR 72209, with a phone line at (501) 618-8500. Staff work Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Mail requests use Form ASP-122, which must be fully filled in and notarized. In person visits require a government issued photo ID. The fee is $25.00 per check, paid by check or money order, made out to Arkansas State Police.
ASP records come from fingerprint arrest cards sent in by local law enforcement, not just court data. This is a key point. A person can have an arrest on file at the Arkansas State Police even when the case was never prosecuted in court. If a subject disputes what is on a rap sheet, they can be fingerprinted at no extra cost, and the report is reissued if the prints do not match. This fingerprint match is what makes the ASP record more reliable than a name only lookup.
The form below is the ASP Background Check Forms page. Download Form ASP-122 and read the instructions before you mail or drop it off. The same page links to the online systems if you prefer to skip the mail route.
As shown above, the Arkansas State Police background check forms page has fillable PDF copies, payment notes, and signing rules. The bureau needs full name, date of birth, race, sex, social security number, and mailing address on the form.
Processing time is 2-5 business days once the request arrives. During peak season this can stretch out. The state statute at Arkansas Code § 12-12-1506(d) lets Arkansas State Police give out conviction data and open felony arrest data without written consent from the subject, which is what keeps ARCH and the online tools running.
Online Arkansas Criminal History Tools
Three state tools let you run an online Arkansas Criminal History check with no paper forms. Each has its own scope and cost.
The Arkansas Criminal History (ARCH) system is the public access portal, set up under Act 1185 of 2015 and codified at Ark. Code § 12-12-1501 et seq. No consent is needed from the subject. The fee is $24.00 per search, paid by credit or debit card only. You need first name, last name, sex, and full date of birth. The subject must be over 18. Results come back as a PDF link sent to your email. The ARCH report shows felony and misdemeanor convictions, open felony arrests under 3 years old, and sex offender status at Levels 1-4. It does not show juveniles, dismissed cases, not guilty findings, sealed or pardoned records, out of state data, or traffic tickets.
The Arkansas Online Criminal Background Check system is the CBC tool. You need an Information Network of Arkansas account, with a $75 annual fee. State checks run $22, volunteer state checks run $11, and FBI fingerprint checks run $13. CBC requires signed consent from the subject, so it is used by employers with proper authorization, licensing boards, and childcare groups. Misuse of data from the system is a Class A misdemeanor under Arkansas law. The INA portal at ina.ar.gov handles the account side.
Below is a snapshot of the CBC landing page. Compare it to ARCH before you pick a tool. CBC is best for employers and licensing. ARCH is best for the general public.
The image above shows the CBC system sign in page. Keep in mind Arkansas law blocks the FBI check unless a state check has been run first. The state side must come first in the queue.
Arkansas Court Case Search for Criminal History
The Arkansas Administrative Office of the Courts runs the statewide case search tool. Search ARCourts replaced the older Public CourtConnect system and kept the free public access. The site is at caseinfo.arcourts.gov. You can search by party name, case number, case type, judgment, filing date, docket date, or attorney name. Results show parties, judges, filings, charges, dispositions, hearings, and links to document images for many cases.
The case image below is the public search page.
As shown in the Search ARCourts page above, you can enter a name or case number. Not every county sends its data to this portal. Full record counties include Clark, Crawford, Faulkner, Garland, Hot Spring, Pulaski, Saline, Searcy, Van Buren, Washington, White, and Yell. Partial counties include Arkansas, Ashley, Baxter, Benton, Bradley, Calhoun, Chicot, Cleveland, Columbia, Dallas, Desha, Drew, Greene, Hempstead, Howard, Jackson, Johnson, Lafayette, Lincoln, Little River, Lonoke, Madison, Marion, Monroe, Montgomery, Nevada, Newton, Ouachita, Perry, Phillips, Pike, Poinsett, Polk, Pope, Prairie, Randolph, Scott, Sebastian, Sevier, Sharp, St. Francis, Stone, Union, and Woodruff. For sealed items, juvenile matters, or mental health cases, Administrative Order 19 restricts online access. Records from before January 1, 2009 have some details redacted under Arkansas rules.
System maintenance runs Monday-Friday 12:30 to 2:00 AM, and Saturday 10 PM to Sunday noon. You can reach the AOC tech team at (501) 410-1900 (option 1), toll free at (866) 823-5778, or by email at acap.help@arcourts.gov. That same office runs training for attorneys and court staff on the case management system.
Arkansas Inmate and Jail Records
For inmates in state prison, the Arkansas Department of Corrections runs a search tool.
The ADC inmate search tool shown above lets you search by ADC number, first or last name, sex, age, race, county, facility, or offense group. The results page shows name, race, date of birth, intake date, crime summary, facility, mugshot, and known aliases. The database covers all ADC facilities including Cummins, East Arkansas Regional, Grimes, McPherson, North Central, Ouachita River, Pine Bluff Unit, Randall L. Williams, Texarkana Regional, Tucker, Varner, and Wrightsville. Out of state inmates held under the Interstate Compact do not show up. Inmates on the waiting list only show after they move from county jail into ADC.
For county jail rosters, each Sheriff keeps their own tool. The Pulaski County Regional Detention Facility at Little Rock is the largest county jail in Arkansas, with more than 1,200 detainees at any time. The Pulaski County Zuercher portal is a common tool used by many Arkansas sheriffs. Image below shows the layout.
The above Zuercher portal lets you search by name and arrest date. It shows mugshot, race, sex, date of birth, charges, and bond amount. Most other counties run a similar tool under their own Sheriff domain.
For victim alerts, the VINELink system is the national notification tool that covers 3,200 plus counties. Service is free. You can sign up for phone, email, or TTY alerts. The tool covers county jails, state prisons, and other custody holds.
The VINELink page shown above pulls from ACIC. ACIC has run the VINE program with Appriss since 1998 under Arkansas law. Call ACIC at (501) 682-2222 or toll free at (800) 482-5866 for help.
Arkansas Sex Offender Registry Search
ACIC runs the public Arkansas Sex Offender Registry. The tool is at ark.org/offender-search. The public registry shows Level 2 (moderate), Level 3 (high), and Level 4 (sexually violent predator) offenders. Level 1 offenders stay with law enforcement only. You can search by first name, last name, address, city, county, zip code, or street. The result page shows full name, aliases, current photo, address, vehicle, offense details, age, and sex.
The snapshot below is the search page.
From the registry above, you can also sign up for email or phone alerts on offenders in your area. Levels 1-3 must verify every 6 months. Level 4 and aggravated offenders verify every 3 months. An address change must be reported 10 days ahead, or 3 days in an emergency. Failure to register is a Class C felony under Arkansas law, with 3-10 years in prison and up to a $10,000 fine.
This registry is run under the Sex and Child Offender Registration Act of 1997, Ark. Code § 12-12-913. The ACIC office is at 322 S Main St, Suite 615, Little Rock, AR 72201.
Arkansas FOIA and Criminal History Records
Arkansas Freedom of Information Act sits at Ark. Code § 25-19-101 through § 25-19-119. The law states that public business should happen in the open. Agencies must respond to a FOIA request within 3 business days per § 25-19-105(e). Any Arkansas citizen can request records, though incarcerated felons are blocked by statute. You do not need to give a reason for the request. Fees cover actual reproduction cost only. Staff search time cannot be billed. If the fee tops $25, the custodian can ask for prepay.
The Attorney General's office publishes a yearly FOIA handbook to help people walk through the process. The current version is the 21st Edition.
As shown in the Attorney General office page above, the office also runs a FOIA hotline for questions. The full handbook is at media.ark.org/ag.
Some Arkansas Criminal History data is held back from FOIA. Under Ark. Code § 12-12-1504, records NOT open include dismissed arrests, not guilty findings, sealed or expunged records, and juvenile records except for limited cases. Open law enforcement investigations are held back under the FOIA exemption list. Under the sealing statute, Ark. Code § 16-90-1401 et seq., a person can move to seal old cases. Sealed cases drop off the public version of ARCH and the court case search.
The definition of public record in FOIA covers writings, recorded sounds, films, tapes, electronic data, or data compilations kept by law. All public records are open during regular business hours.
Types of Arkansas Criminal History Data
Arkansas Criminal History is a broad term. It covers many record types held across different offices.
Arrest records come from local police, sheriffs, and state troopers. Each arrest ends with a fingerprint card sent to ACIC. The arrest log includes date, time, and charge. Booking adds mugshot, personal info, and property list. Most cities publish a daily arrest log or daily blotter for the public. Open case files, though, stay out of reach until the case ends.
Court records come from circuit courts and district courts. The felony cases go to the circuit court. The misdemeanor cases go to the district court. Each file holds the affidavit, charges, motions, orders, hearings, verdict, and sentence. The Circuit Clerk in each county is the keeper. For a case where the person was found not guilty, the ARCH and public tools may not show it, but the court file still exists at the clerk's office.
Jail records track who is in a county detention center on any day. The roster shows booking number, name, age, charges, bond, and intake date. Some counties also publish a 48 hour release list so a family member can find someone who was held and let go. Warrants are a related record. Most sheriffs keep a list of open warrants on the web.
Prison records track the state prisoners at ADC. The ADC inmate search covers intake date, facility, crime, and release date. Pardon and parole actions come from the Arkansas Parole Board.
Conviction data and rap sheets come from ACIC under the fingerprint repository, managed with Ark. Code § 12-12-1501 et seq. This is the full Arkansas Criminal History file for a person, used for licensing, background checks, and court matters.
The state law at Ark. Code § 12-12-1013 also gives a person the right to see and challenge the content of their own record. The challenge procedure is in Ark. Code § 12-12-211 and in ACIC Regulation 7(F).
Arkansas Criminal History Fees
Fees run across a broad range. Mail or in person request through Form ASP-122 is $25.00 per check. ARCH online is $24.00 per search, paid by card only. The $24 breaks down as $20 for the search, $2 INA processing, and $2 credit card processing. Extra matches from the same search cost another $24 each. CBC state name based checks are $22.00, or $11.00 for volunteers. The FBI fingerprint based check through CBC is $13.00 for both general and volunteer requests. The INA account fee is $75 per year, waived for state and school users.
Case search through Search ARCourts is free. Inmate search through ADC is free. The Sex Offender Registry is free. The Sheriff and police agency jail rosters are free in most counties.
Certified copies from a Circuit Clerk typically run $5.00 per document. Plain copy fees run about $0.25 per page. Some counties charge more for faxed copies, around $1.00 per page. Accident report fees for state police crashes run $17 each ($15 plus $2). Fingerprinting at a police station for a FBI or state check usually runs $15-$25.
Note: All fees listed here are state averages. Each county and city sets its own schedule for FOIA copy fees under Arkansas law.
Arkansas Criminal History by County
Each Arkansas county has its own page with local Sheriff contact info, Circuit Clerk address, inmate roster link, and any county specific tools.
Arkansas Criminal History by City
Major Arkansas cities each have their own page covering the local police records unit, the county courthouse that handles their cases, and FOIA request methods.