Public-arrest-records-mississippi stay open for people to see. These files show when police take someone into custody. The Mississippi State Bureau of Investigation keeps these files for seven years. Each file has the full name of the person. It shows their birth date and the date of the arrest. It lists where the booking happened. It also has the codes for the charges. You can ask for these files by calling 800-227-5764. You can also go to the main office. The office is at 1902 Mississippi Highway 1, Jackson, MS 39201. They stay open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekdays. You pay $10 for each record. You can pay with a credit card. You can use a money order or a check. It takes about three business days to get the paper back.
Statewide Online Search Portals
Mississippi has 82 counties. You can look at an online list that covers all of them. This list has mugshots and dates for when people went to jail. It shows crimes like misdemeanors and felonies. The data starts in January 2021. It goes all the way to December 2025. You can search by using a name. You can use a case number or the name of the police agency. The results show the badge number of the officer. You can see how much money is needed for bond. High-resolution photos stay in the system when they have them. This data gets updated every day. It comes from the county clerk offices.
Criminal Information Center Services
The Mississippi Department of Public Safety runs the Criminal Information Center. This center does deep checks using fingerprints. You have to give your prints on a card. You can also use a LiveScan machine. The fee for the fingerprints is $15. You get a report that shows laws and court results. It shows if a person is on parole. This takes five business days to finish. The state law says any person living here can ask for these. You do not have to say why you want them. The police must say they got your request within one day. They send the files to your email in most cases.
Public Records Act Rules
The Mississippi Public Records Act is the set of rules for these files. It is in the Mississippi Code. It says that arrest files are open to the public. Police make a booking report every time they catch a suspect. This report has the name and age of the person. It shows their race and the time they got caught. People can get these by going to the local police station. You can go to the sheriff office during the day. Most counties ask for 25 cents for each page you copy. You get the files in two or three days. This law makes sure the government is open with the people.
Certified Background Check Procedures
Some people need a certified copy of a record. You must have a signed paper from the person in the record first. Then you fill out Form 12 from the Department of Public Safety. You send this form with the signed paper. You must pay $32.00. This payment must be a money order for the Department of Public Safety. The department takes five to seven days to look at it. They mail the official record to you. This record has the dates of arrest and the court results. It shows the final sentence from the judge.
Local Sheriff and Police Logs
Every county sheriff keeps a jail log. These logs show who is in jail right now. In Hinds County, the jail is very big. They have many records because it is a big city. In Harrison County, the records show many people from the coast. You can see the name of the person and their mugshot. These logs show if the person can leave on bail. They show the exact time the person walked into the jail. Small towns have police departments that keep their own logs. You can call them to ask about a recent arrest. They will tell you the charge and the bond amount over the phone.
Fees and Payment Methods
Getting these files is not always free. The state bureau asks for $10. The Department of Public Safety asks for $32 for a certified check. Local towns might only ask for a few cents. You can use a credit card at the big state offices. Small towns might only take cash or a money order. Always call before you go to the office. This way you know how much money to bring. Some offices let you pay online. When you pay online, you might get the file faster. Electronic checks are a good way to pay if you are at home.
Types of Crimes in the Files
The records show different kinds of crimes. Misdemeanors are small crimes. These might be for driving fast or small thefts. Felonies are big crimes. These are for things like hurting people or big thefts. The record shows the code for the crime. This code tells you what law the person broke. It also shows if the person is a repeat offender. You can see if they had a weapon. You can see if they were under the influence of something. All these details help people know what happened during the arrest.
Access for Law Enforcement
Police officers have a special way to see these files. They use a system called the Criminal Information Center database. They must have a badge to log in. This system shows more than what the public sees. It shows fingerprint matches right away. It shows if there are warrants from other states. It shows a digital photo that is very clear. Non-police users can get the same data through a public portal. That portal costs $25. It sends the report to your email in an encrypted file. This keeps the data safe from hackers.
Archived Records and History
Some records go back a long time. The state has conviction data that starts in 1970. This data stays in a safe place. It is used for jobs that need a big background check. These historical files show how a person has behaved for many years. You can see if they went to prison. You can see when they got out. The Department of Corrections helps keep these files. They show if a person stayed out of trouble after jail. This history is important for big licenses or for adopting a child.
Mistakes in the Records
Sometimes a record has a mistake. A name might be spelled wrong. A charge might be old or wrong. You can ask the agency to fix it. You have to show them proof. This proof could be a court paper. It could be an ID card. The agency will look at your proof. If they see a mistake, they will change the file. This is important because wrong files can stop someone from getting a job. You should check your own record once a year. This makes sure everything is correct and up to date.
Expungement of Records
Expungement means a record gets hidden or erased. In Mississippi, you can ask a judge for this. Not every crime can be expunged. Small crimes are easier to hide. You usually have to wait a few years after your sentence ends. You have to stay out of trouble during that time. If the judge says yes, the arrest will not show up on most background checks. This helps people start over. It helps them get better jobs. You usually need a lawyer to help with this. The lawyer goes to court and talks to the judge for you.
Public Safety and Community Knowledge
Knowing about arrests helps a community stay safe. People can see if there is a lot of crime in their neighborhood. They can see what kind of crimes are happening. This helps people decide where to live. It helps them know when to lock their doors. Business owners use these files too. They check to see if someone they want to hire is honest. It is a way to protect the store and the customers. The state makes these files open so everyone can be smart and safe.
Record Retention and Storage
The state has rules for how long to keep papers. Most arrest files stay for at least seven years. Some stay forever if they are for big crimes. Digital storage makes it easy to keep millions of files. These files stay on secure servers. Only certain people can change them. The state spends a lot of money to keep these servers running. This makes sure the data does not get lost. If a building burns down, the digital files stay safe. This is why most records are now on computers instead of just paper.
Mississippi State Bureau of Investigation
Address: 1902 Mississippi Highway 1, Jackson, MS 39201
Phone: 800-227-5764
Hours: Monday – Friday, 8:00 AM – 5:00 PM
Department of Public Safety – Criminal Information Center
Address: 1902 Mississippi Highway 1, Jackson, MS 39201
Phone: 601-987-1212
Hours: Monday – Friday, 8:00 AM – 5:00 PM
Mississippi Department of Corrections
Address: 633 North State Street, Jackson, MS 39202
Phone: 601-359-5600
Hours: Monday – Friday, 8:00 AM – 5:00 PM
FAQs Regarding Public Arrest Records Mississippi
People often ask many questions about these files. This section gives long answers to help you know more. We look at the laws and the ways to get files. We also look at what you can do if you see a problem. This helps you move through the system with ease.
Can anyone see my mugshot in Mississippi?
Yes. Mississippi law says that a mugshot is a public record. When police arrest someone, they take a photo. This photo is part of the booking process. The law treats this photo as a record of a public event. Because of this, the photo stays open for anyone to look at. Most county sheriffs put these photos on their websites. They do this so the public knows who is in the jail. You do not need a special reason to see these. You can just visit the website and look. Some people do not like this. They feel it is not fair. However, the state believes that keeping things open helps stop the police from being unfair. If the public can see who is arrested, the police must follow the rules. This keeps the whole system honest. If you want a copy of a mugshot for yourself, you might have to pay a small fee. This fee covers the cost of printing the photo. If you just look at it on a screen, it is usually free. Some websites collect these photos and put them all in one place. These websites are not run by the government. They just use the public data that the government provides. If an arrest is thrown out by a judge, you can sometimes ask to have the photo taken down. This takes time and often needs a lawyer to help with the paperwork.
How do I find out if someone is in jail right now?
The best way is to check the local sheriff’s jail roster. Each county in Mississippi has a sheriff. The sheriff is in charge of the county jail. Most of these sheriffs have a list online. This list shows every person currently sitting in a cell. You can see their name and their mugshot. You can also see the date they went into the jail. The list shows the charges against them. It also shows the bond amount. The bond is the money they must pay to leave until their court date. If the sheriff does not have a website, you can call the jail. You ask for the jailer or the clerk. You give them the name of the person. They will tell you if that person is there. They will also tell you what the person is charged with. This is public data. They must tell you if you ask. Some big cities have their own small jails too. If someone is not in the county jail, they might be in a city jail. You would call the city police department to check that. The state also has a system for people who are already convicted. That is the Department of Corrections website. You use their inmate search to find people in state prison. This is different from the county jail. Jail is for people waiting for trial or with short sentences. Prison is for people with long sentences for big crimes.
What is the difference between an arrest record and a criminal history?
An arrest record shows a specific time the police took a person. It shows the date and the reason. It does not mean the person is guilty. It just means they were caught and processed. A criminal history is a bigger file. It shows all the arrests a person has had in their life. It also shows the results of those arrests. It shows if a judge found them guilty. It shows the sentence they got. It shows if they went to prison or stayed on probation. In Mississippi, you can get a simple arrest report from a local police station. This is just a few pages. A full criminal history usually comes from the state level. The Department of Public Safety keeps these. They use fingerprints to make sure the history belongs to the right person. This is important because many people have the same name. Fingerprints do not lie. Employers usually want the full criminal history. They want to see the final results of every arrest. They want to know if the person was convicted. A simple arrest record might not show the ending of the case. It might only show the beginning. This is why people should know which one they need before they start looking. Getting a full history takes more money and more time. It is a much more detailed document.
Can I get a copy of my own record for free?
In most cases, you have to pay a fee for a physical copy. Mississippi law allows agencies to charge for the cost of making the copy. This includes the time the clerk spends looking for the file. It also includes the cost of the paper and the ink. The state bureau charges $10 for their standard report. Local offices might charge less. Sometimes they only charge 25 cents for a page. If you just want to look at the record on a computer screen, that is often free. Many county offices have a computer in the lobby. You can use it to search for your name. You can read everything on the screen without paying. But if you want to take a paper with you, you must pay. Some websites offer free searches. These sites might not have the newest data. They might only show some parts of the record. To get a full and official copy, you should go to the government office. If you are poor and cannot afford the fee, you can sometimes ask for a waiver. You have to prove that you do not have the money. This is hard to do and does not always work. Most people just pay the small fee to get their paper quickly. Having your own copy is good. It lets you see what others see when they check your background.
How long does an arrest stay on my public record in Mississippi?
An arrest stays on your record forever unless a judge orders it to be removed. Many people think it goes away after seven years. This is not true. The seven-year rule is for how long the state bureau keeps the file in their active database for easy access. Even after seven years, the record still exists in the archives. It will still show up on a deep background check. If you want it gone, you must go through the expungement process. This is a legal move where a judge signs a paper. The paper tells the police to hide the record from the public. Once this happens, the arrest will not show up when a boss or a landlord looks you up. But until that happens, the record is permanent. Even if you were never charged with a crime, the arrest still shows that you were taken into custody. This can be a problem for some people. It is why many people try to get their records expunged as soon as they can. You should check the rules for your specific crime. Some crimes can be hidden after one year. Others take five years. Some big crimes can never be hidden. Knowing the timeline for your situation is the best way to plan for your future.
What should I do if my arrest record is wrong?
If you see a mistake on your record, you must act fast. A mistake can cause you to lose a job or an apartment. First, find out exactly what is wrong. Is it a misspelled name? Is it a charge that was dropped but still shows as open? Once you know the error, go to the agency that made the file. If the police made the mistake, go to the police station. If the court made the mistake, go to the court clerk. Bring proof with you. This proof should be a court document or a legal ID. Ask to speak with the records manager. They will give you a form to fill out. This form is a request to correct the record. The agency will then look at their own files to see if you are right. If they agree there is an error, they will fix it. They will also send the new data to the state bureau in Jackson. This makes sure the state-wide file is also correct. It is a good idea to ask for a letter that says the mistake was fixed. You can show this letter to anyone who sees the old, wrong record. This protects you while the system is being updated. Always keep a copy of your court papers. These papers are the best proof of what really happened in your case.
Are juvenile arrest records public in Mississippi?
No, juvenile records are usually kept secret. In Mississippi, the law wants to protect children. They want kids to be able to grow up and get jobs without a mistake following them. When someone under the age of 18 is arrested, their file is handled by the Youth Court. These files are not open to the general public. You cannot just go to a website and see a kid’s mugshot. Only the child’s parents, their lawyer, and certain government workers can see these files. However, there is an exception. If a child is charged with a very big crime, like a violent felony, they might be moved to adult court. If this happens, their record becomes public just like an adult’s. This is a serious situation. It means their name and photo will be in the public files. For most small crimes, the record stays sealed. When the person turns 18 or 21, they can often ask to have the juvenile record destroyed. This makes sure it is gone for good. Most employers cannot see these files during a regular background check. Only jobs that need a very high security clearance might be able to find them. This system helps young people learn from their mistakes without ruining their whole lives.