What is a rap sheet? -- Key information you need to know

Criminal defense attorney Neil Shouse explains what a rap sheet is, who can see your rap sheet, and how to get a copy of your rap sheet.

More info at https://www.shouselaw.com/ca/defense/background-checks/rap-sheets/

In criminal law "rap" sheet stands for "Record of Arrests and Prosecutions". A rap sheet is a criminal records document that shows details of an individual's arrests, criminal charges, and/or convictions for crimes. Rap sheets are updated and maintained by the United States Department of Justice, also known as the DOJ. A rap sheet also contains records of false names and fake identities that you have given to police in the past, such as: legal name changes, aliases, and nicknames.

Rap sheets are different than the background checks that employers, banks, and landlords can see. When someone orders a background check, they often pay for information that was gathered by a private company through the process of collecting court records, and other legal records that are made public. But rap sheets are only accessible to police, prosecutors, and governmental agents, because they are compiled from an official governmental database.

The main purpose of a rap sheet is to aide law enforcement agencies who are investigating potential crimes. Police officers investigating potential drug dealers may look at a suspect's rap sheet to see if they have previous arrests or prosecutions for drug-related crimes. And if someone is charged with a DUI, the prosecutor and district attorney on the case will always look at that suspect's rap sheet to see if they have been convicted of previous DUI's, and if so they will charge that person with a more serious DUI-related offense.

It is always a good idea to get a copy of your rap sheet, even for people who have never been charged with, or arrested for a crime, in order to check the rap sheet's authenticity. Occasionally there may be mistakes or false records on your rap sheet. You may even have been the victim of identity theft. You can get a copy of your rap sheet by requesting one from the FBI, and the instructions for requesting a copy of your rap sheet are listed on our website in the link below.

And for those people who wish to expunge their criminal records, or to seek other post-conviction relief such as a certificate of rehabilitation, or a pardon, our California expungement attorneys have had a lot of success cleaning up past mistakes and previous criminal records for our clients.

More info at https://www.shouselaw.com/ca/defense/background-checks/rap-sheets/

or call 866-361-0010 for a free consultation.

If you or a loved one has been charged with a crime, or wishes to expunge a past crime, or obtain post-conviction relief such as a certificate of rehabilitation, we invite you to contact us at Shouse Law Group. We can provide a free consultation in office or by phone. We have local offices in Los Angeles, the San Fernando Valley, Pasadena, Long Beach, Orange County, Ventura, San Bernardino, Rancho Cucamonga, Riverside, San Diego, Sacramento, Oakland, San Francisco, San Jose and throughout California.

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