How to tell if someone has been to court for a criminal offense?

[Puce112]

What is the name of your state?
California
I looked up and called the court but there are no records of the person I’m looking for, but I think that he has been to court. Is there a sure fire way to tell if someone has had a court hearing?

 

[adjusterjack]

See:

Access to Electronic Court Case Records

If you have exhausted all of the methods listed and have not found anything you'll either have to give up the search or pay a background check service to do a deep dive into that persons background.

Just out of curiosity, why is this your business?

Your reasons may (or may not) help get other suggestions.

 

[Taxing Matters]

What is the name of your state?
California
I looked up and called the court but there are no records of the person I’m looking for, but I think that he has been to court. Is there a sure fire way to tell if someone has had a court hearing?

It matters in what state the court proceedings took place, whether it was in federal court or state court, what information you are looking for, and whether you were a party to the case (which is unlikely since, as a party to the case, you should already the outcome). As the link Jack provided explains, what you can get from the CA state courts on criminal cases is limited, and may require you to actually go to the courthouse where the charges were filed to get any information. If you know the county where the case would have been prosecuted, then all you'd need to do is go to that county's internet site (if it has one) to see what information is there. If you need more than what's available on the internet you may need to go to the court to get it.

There are plenty of online services that host records of criminal convictions. They vary as to quality of information and cost, but if all you really want to do is see if he was convicted of some offense, one of those sites may provide you with the answer.

 

[zddoodah]

I looked up and called the court

In what county?

I think that he has been to court.

Been to court for what purpose? I've "been to court" hundreds of times, but you won't find any cases under my name. Why do you "think" this person "has been to court," and isn't it possible that the person went to court in a different county than the one you called? Also note that many counties have different branches.

Is there a sure fire way to tell if someone has had a court hearing?

Yes, and it varies from county to county and, in some counties, branch to branch. California has 58 counties, and their websites are not at all unified. In some counties, you can run searches by name, but it many counties (including two of the state's three most populous counties), you cannot.

If the clerk in the county where you called actually checked a name index and told you there was no criminal case involving the person in question, then you seemingly have your answer.

 

[quincy]

What is the name of your state?
California
… I think that he has been to court. Is there a sure fire way to tell if someone has had a court hearing?

What leads you to believe that this person has been to court?

Why do you want to know if this person has or has not been to court?

 

[cbg]

I'll give you two to one odds that they're trying to discredit the other parent in a custody dispute.

 

[quincy]

I'll give you two to one odds that they're trying to discredit the other parent in a custody dispute.

The other parent’s new partner maybe.

 

[NeilTheCop]

I'll give you two to one odds that they're trying to discredit the other parent in a custody dispute.

That would explain why it may not be available.

"The public is allowed to look at most court case records. However, there are some court case records the public may not see. Some laws, rules of court, and court orders make some case records confidential.
Examples of confidential case records include records filed in “juvenile dependency” cases (when a child is removed from their parents) and “juvenile delinquency” cases (when a child is accused of committing a crime). Court case records for these cases are not available to the public."
https://www.courts.ca.gov/42512.htm

 

[quincy]

That would explain why it may not be available. …

There also might be no court case to see, confidential or otherwise.