- 11 Jul 2022
- Personal Safety
- 70 Reads
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If you are unsure of a new person in your life, say an acquaintance, neighbor, babysitter, a date or a prospective partner, you can divulge their suspected criminal activity using an arrest record. Arrest records are public documents that reveal the crime that a suspected person is accused of, and they also indicate when the suspected person was arrested. An arrest record is simply a piece of public record, and it can only be accessed through the federal or state court system.
It is important to realize that, just because a suspected person’s arrest records show they have once been arrested it does not mean they are guilty of the offence. In the United States, one is legally considered innocent until proven guilty. An arrest record only shows the type of offence a suspected person is accused of, thus can still prove their innocence. Arrest records will show if the suspect was involved in drugs/alcohol, theft/robbery, violence or traffic related offences.
Criminal Records (Conviction) vs. Arrest Records
Convictions are extremely different from outstanding arrests. This is very important to note as there have been numerous controversies that surround the two. One is only convicted after having been taken through the legal channels of the law and proved guilty of the said crime. It is, however, possible that a suspected individual can be found completely innocent of criminal activity after being arrested. An arrest is not an indication of guilt, but a suspicion of a crime.
Criminal records are merely records of a criminal history. They are actually upheld as proof of your past criminal activities as they provide information of past history with the law. When you are arrested, you are deprived of certain liberties, and are legally apprehended by an individual who has been granted powers to do so, such as the federal police, state police, or county police. In the U.S, a suspected person can be arrested when a probable cause of criminal activity exists.
Using Arrests Records to Make Convictions
The information that is contained in an arrest record includes the actual date when the arrest happened and the place it took place, the arresting time, the crime you were charged with, the disposition of the case, the suspects personal identification information, and information of any sentencing or incarceration that might come about from the case. This information can lead to a criminal conviction or issuing of warrants of arrest to suspected persons with arrest records.
Active warrants of arrests are issued to suspected individuals who have been convicted of a criminal offence. Questionable activity in someone’s life can easily be brought to light when they get convicted for, say sex crimes, assault, murder, theft, burglary or any other form of offence that might be listed in their arrest record, which by the way differs in other countries.