Understanding the Criminal History Record Results

When an adult is arrested, he is fingerprinted. The fingerprints are used to establish the identity of an individual even if he gives a false name at the time of arrest. The arrest fingerprint card is the beginning of the criminal history record.

If an adult pleads guilty to, or is found guilty of, a criminal offense in ND, the conviction will appear on the individual’s criminal history record information; it cannot be expunged.

A Criminal History Record check result provides North Dakota records of:

• Convictions (regardless of how old).
• Charges that were dismissed, or did not result in conviction, or do not have a court disposition, and are less than three years old.
• Jail or prison custody records less than three years old.

The record check does NOT include:

• Charges that were dismissed, or did not result in conviction, or do not have a court disposition that are more than three years old.
• Jail or prison custody records more than three years old.
• Juvenile records
• Federal records
• Most traffic offenses (Contact the ND Department of Transportation)
• Civil judgments (Contact the Courts)
• Records from other states

Note: Even if information (such as a deferred sentence that was dismissed more than three years ago) is not included on the criminal history record check result, it is always available to law enforcement officials.

View a sample “Criminal History Record Check result sheet.”

Obtain a National (FBI) Record Check

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