Los Angeles Criminal Court Records
Los Angeles County Criminal Court Records
Misdemeanors, Felonies and Criminal Infractions make up the types of criminal cases heard in the county of Los Angeles, California. Criminal convictions are the outcomes of these cases that are often referred to as criminal records. These records are also considered public records, which are accessibly by anyone upon request. Understanding these records, and having access to them, is important for maintaining transparency and public safety.
However, accessing these records isn't always straightforward. There are online and in-person methods, each with its own set of procedures. We'll walk you through these steps. By the end of this guide, you'll have a clearer understanding of Los Angeles County Criminal Court records, the various types, and how to access them.
The Role of LA County Criminal Court
The LA County Criminal Court plays a pivotal role in the county's justice system. It's responsible for adjudicating criminal cases within its jurisdiction and passing on sentencings. This includes the city of Los Angeles, including all 88 cities and unincorporated areas within the county limits. The court's primary function is to make sure justice is served and applied appropriately. It does this by conducting fair and impartial trials by judge and jury. These trials determine the guilt or innocence of the accused, and impose sentencings to the guilty.
The court's responsibilities extend well beyond hearings and trials. It also handles pre-trial proceedings, sentencing, convictions and appeals. Here is a list of some of the court's key roles:
1). Hearing and deciding on criminal case trials
2). Conducting pre-trial proceedings, including bail hearings
3). Oversees the sentencing of convicted individuals and determines fines, restitution and incarceration
4). Handling appeals from lower courts within the county
5). Recording and maintaining records for public access
How to Run a Los Angeles Criminal Case Search
Performing a Los Angeles County Criminal Court Case Search can be done in three different ways. You can accomplish all of these methods online as long as you have either the criminal case number, or the names of the parties involved.
Direct Through The LA Courts Website: The LA County Courthouse website has an online portal for record searches. This portal is accessible to the public and provides electronic case summaries and documents. To use the online public access portal, you need to have the case number. If you don't have it, you can use the party name to search for the case number. However, this method may yield multiple results and you'll need to verify you have the correct case for the right person.
CA State Courts Website: Another option to locate the records you are looking for is to use the state's main judiciary website. They archive and index all the criminal cases throughout the state. You can search by case number, party names, or attorney names with this website. This is a good secondary option if you cannot find what you are looking for directly through the LA county resources.
Third Party Court Record Websites: Since LA criminal court cases are considered public records, you are not limited to using state or county resources. Third party resources will have the same information, and sometimes more, that you can access online. The benefit to using these types of resources is you can access publicly available records without having to register or pay the high fees for certified copies. The caveat to using these resources is they are intended for reference only. This means that you cannot obtain certified copies with these resources, you will need to go direct to the respective courthouse website for those.
Privacy and Accessibility of LA Criminal Court Records
Access to to publicly available court case records is governed by the California Public Records Act. This law was enacted to promote transparency and accountability with government agency collected information, as well as give the public access to this information. However, it also respects the privacy rights of individuals and some records are not publicly available.
