Find Massachusetts Criminal Records Without Confusing CORI, Court and Police Files
Massachusetts does not operate one public website containing every arrest, police report, criminal court filing, warrant and custody record. Each record serves a different purpose and may be maintained by DCJIS, a Trial Court clerk, a police department, the Massachusetts Probation Service, a county sheriff or the Department of Correction.
This guide explains what each system contains, what it leaves out, how much a request costs, what information to prepare, how to interpret a result and how to correct, seal or expunge an eligible record. Official portals are reserved for the final live search, request or filing.
$25 per request; indigency waiver may be available.
DCJIS allows up to 10 business days.
One free request every 90 days.
VINELink or 866-277-7477.
617-727-5300, weekdays 8:30 a.m.–4:30 p.m.
Choose the Massachusetts record that answers your question
Request your personal CORI from DCJIS. This is the most direct way to review available Massachusetts arraignment information associated with your name and date of birth.
Use Trial Court Case Access when you have a docket number, ticket number, citation number or enough information to identify the court and case.
Contact the police department or Massachusetts State Police unit that created the report. The court and DCJIS do not replace the arresting agency’s source report.
Use VINELink for Massachusetts Department of Correction custody. Contact the appropriate county sheriff for a county correctional facility or local jail.
CORI, court dockets, arrest reports and custody records are not interchangeable
| Record | Maintained by | What it generally answers | What it does not replace |
|---|---|---|---|
| Personal CORI | Department of Criminal Justice Information Services | Available Massachusetts arraignment and criminal court-history information associated with the person searched. | The complete police report, every court document or a nationwide fingerprint check. |
| Open-access CORI | DCJIS | Publicly accessible CORI information under Massachusetts access rules. | The broader access available to the person who is the subject or to an authorized organization. |
| Trial Court docket | Massachusetts Trial Court clerk’s office | Case events, parties, docket entries, disposition details and documents available for that case. | The arresting officer’s narrative, body-camera footage or local booking file. |
| Arrest or incident report | The arresting police department or State Police | Reported facts, officer observations, incident details and other releasable agency information. | The final charge, court judgment or certified disposition. |
| Fingerprint-supported check | Authorized state and federal criminal-history systems | Identity-specific records matched through fingerprints for an authorized purpose. | A CORI request when an employer or agency specifically requires Massachusetts CORI. |
| DOC custody record | Massachusetts Department of Correction and VINE service | Whether a person is housed in a participating Massachusetts state correctional facility. | County jail searches or criminal court history. |
How to request your personal Massachusetts CORI
You need a valid Massachusetts driver’s license or Massachusetts identification card to register as an individual through iCORI.
A personal CORI request costs $25. A qualifying person who cannot afford the fee may submit an Affidavit of Indigency.
DCJIS states that processing may take up to 10 business days, although many reports are completed sooner.
Requesting by mail without Massachusetts identification
A person without a valid Massachusetts driver’s license or Massachusetts ID must use the paper Personal CORI Request Form. This also applies when an attorney is requesting a client’s personal CORI and the client cannot use the online identity process.
What an open-access Massachusetts CORI search can and cannot show
DCJIS currently lists an open-access CORI request at $50 per request.
Open-access results are governed by public-access rules and may contain less information than a person receives when requesting their own record.
CORI is name based. Similar names and birth dates require careful identity confirmation.
Prepare these details before an open-access request
How to read a Massachusetts CORI report
| Field or term | What it generally means | What to verify |
|---|---|---|
| Court | The Trial Court department, division or location connected with the case. | Use this to identify the clerk’s office holding the official case file. |
| Docket number | The court’s unique case identifier. | Enter it exactly in Trial Court Case Access and on copy requests. |
| Arraignment | The court event at which the accused person is formally presented with a criminal charge and enters a plea. | An arraignment entry is not a conviction. |
| Offense description | The criminal charge associated with the court record. | Check later docket entries for amendments, reductions or dismissed counts. |
| Disposition | The recorded court outcome for a charge or case. | Obtain the actual disposition document when the wording is unclear or formal proof is needed. |
| Dismissed | The court ended the charge without a conviction on that count. | A dismissal does not automatically erase the record; sealing may still be necessary. |
| Nolle prosequi | The prosecutor entered that the charge would not be prosecuted further at that time. | Determine whether every charge was covered. |
| Continued without a finding | A case was continued under court-ordered conditions without an immediate guilty finding. | Check whether conditions were completed and whether the case was later dismissed. |
| Guilty or conviction | A guilty finding or conviction was entered. | Review the sentence, completion date and possible sealing date. |
| Open | The criminal-history system presently treats the case as unresolved. | If the case actually ended, contact the probation office at the originating court to correct the status. |
How to search Massachusetts criminal court cases
Massachusetts Trial Court Case Access can display party, event, docket and disposition information. Available documents and remote access depend on the court department, case type and public-access rules.
Case-type search limitation
The Case Type tab can be used when the case number is unknown, but the beginning and ending dates cannot span more than 30 days. Choose the court and case type carefully before running the search.
How to request a Massachusetts arrest or police report
An arrest report belongs to the agency that created it. For a city or town arrest, request the record from that police department’s Records Access Officer. For a Massachusetts State Police investigation, use the State Police Public Records Unit.
Information that helps the records officer locate the file
Why information may be redacted or withheld
Releasing investigative material may interfere with enforcement, witness interviews, evidence collection or prosecution.
Victim, witness, juvenile, medical, domestic-violence, personal-identification and safety-related information may be protected.
Massachusetts public-record exemptions can protect information even when the remaining portions of a report are released.
Massachusetts State Police Public Records Unit
How to find someone incarcerated in Massachusetts
Use VINELink with the full first and last name or Massachusetts Department of Correction commitment number.
Contact the sheriff’s office serving the county where the person was arrested, sentenced or detained.
A recent arrestee may temporarily remain with a city or town police department before arraignment or transfer.
Full first and last name or Massachusetts DOC commitment number.
How to check a possible Massachusetts warrant safely
Massachusetts does not provide a single unrestricted public statewide warrant database for every warrant. Warrant information may appear in a court docket, but active status should be confirmed through the court, police department, sheriff or attorney.
How to see who requested your Massachusetts CORI
A CORI self-audit shows non-criminal-justice organizations that requested your CORI. Examples can include employers, schools, hospitals, housing authorities and other authorized organizations.
You may request one self-audit without charge every 90 days.
An additional self-audit during the same 90-day period costs $25.
Requests by law-enforcement or other criminal-justice agencies do not appear in the self-audit.
What to review in the self-audit
What organizations must do before using Massachusetts CORI
How to correct an inaccurate Massachusetts criminal record
| Problem | Correct office | Evidence to prepare |
|---|---|---|
| Closed case is shown as open | Probation office at the court where the charge originated | Docket number, disposition, closure date and certified court documents. |
| Wrong disposition | Chief Probation Officer at the originating court or CARI Unit | Certified disposition, judgment, dismissal or corrected docket entry. |
| Case belongs to another person | Court, Massachusetts Probation Service and DCJIS as directed | Government ID, fingerprints when requested and identifying differences. |
| Police report contains a disputed fact | Arresting police department | Report number, exact disputed entry and supporting official records. |
| Private background report is wrong | Consumer reporting company and official record custodian | Copy of the report, dispute letter and corrected official record. |
When a Massachusetts criminal record may be sealed
An eligible misdemeanor may generally be requested for sealing three years after the conviction or release from jail or prison, whichever occurred later.
An eligible felony may generally be requested for sealing seven years after the conviction or release from jail or prison, whichever occurred later.
Dismissed and nolle prosequi cases
A charge dismissed by the court without probation or ended through a nolle prosequi may be eligible for judicial sealing through the court where the case originated. These cases do not necessarily require the conviction waiting period, but the correct petition and legal standard still apply.
Boston, MA 02108
Massachusetts time-based and non-time-based expungement
Expungement is more extensive than sealing. When granted, the qualifying record is permanently destroyed and is no longer accessible through the court or Massachusetts state, county or municipal agencies.
Time-based expungement criteria
A time-based petition is limited. Massachusetts lists requirements concerning the number of records, the petitioner’s age when the offenses occurred, the waiting period and excluded offense categories.
Common excluded offense categories
Offenses resulting in death or serious bodily injury, intending such harm or involving certain felony violations are excluded.
Offenses committed while armed or carrying a dangerous weapon and specified firearms violations are excluded.
Offenses against elderly or disabled persons and assault or assault and battery on a household member are excluded.
Sex offenses, child-related sex offenses and sexually violent offenses are excluded.
Operating under the influence of liquor or drugs is excluded from time-based expungement.
Violations of restraining orders or harassment-prevention orders are excluded.
Non-time-based expungement
A record may qualify without the ordinary time-based criteria when it resulted from one of the specifically recognized errors, identity problems or legal changes.
Where to file
Mail the Petition to Expunge to the Office of the Commissioner of Probation, 1 Ashburton Place, Room 405, Boston, MA 02108. Massachusetts states that the process is free.
File the petition with the clerk’s office in the court where the case was heard and provide a copy to the District Attorney’s Office that prosecuted the case on or before the filing date.
Why a Massachusetts arrest or criminal record may not appear
Before using a Massachusetts criminal record
Massachusetts criminal-record offices and phone numbers
| Office | Contact | Use this office for |
|---|---|---|
| DCJIS main office |
617-660-4600 TTY: 617-660-4606 |
General DCJIS, CORI system and criminal-record administration questions. |
| Civil Background Screening Services Unit |
617-660-4640 icori.info@mass.gov |
Personal and organization iCORI questions, Monday–Friday, 9 a.m.–5 p.m. |
| DCJIS Legal Department |
617-660-4760 legal.info@mass.gov |
CORI legal and regulatory questions. |
| Office of the Commissioner of Probation |
617-727-5300 Fax: 617-727-8483 |
CARI, sealing, expungement, criminal-history corrections and court-record questions. |
| Massachusetts State Police Public Records |
774-462-3770 msp.rao@pol.state.ma.us |
State Police incident reports, arrest reports and other releasable State Police records. |
| VINELink | 866-277-7477 | Locating a person housed in a Massachusetts Department of Correction facility. |
Chelsea, MA 02150
Boston, MA 02108
Monday–Friday, 8:30 a.m.–4:30 p.m.
Massachusetts DCJIS office in Chelsea
The Department of Criminal Justice Information Services administers Massachusetts CORI and lists its main office at 200 Arlington Street, Suite 2200, Chelsea, Massachusetts 02150.
Primary Massachusetts sources used for this guide
Used for personal and open-access fees, processing periods, identification requirements, self-audits and organization procedures.
Used for docket-search steps, remote-access limitations, court documents, sealing, expungement and Probation contacts.
Used for State Police public-record requests, Department of Correction custody lookup and VINELink instructions.
Massachusetts arrest and criminal-record questions
How do I search Massachusetts arrest records?
Use CORI for available Massachusetts arraignment history, Trial Court Case Access for a filed court case, the arresting police department for the source arrest report and VINELink for Massachusetts Department of Correction custody.
How much is my personal Massachusetts CORI?
DCJIS currently lists the personal CORI fee as $25 per request. A qualifying person may submit an Affidavit of Indigency with the required request paperwork.
How long will my CORI request take?
DCJIS states that a request may take up to 10 business days, although many results are completed sooner.
Can I search a criminal court case by name?
Remote criminal-case access is limited. Massachusetts states that most criminal cases available online are searched by exact docket number. Ticket, citation and case-type searches may also be available.
How can I find a person in a Massachusetts state prison?
Use VINELink with the full first and last name or Massachusetts DOC commitment number, or call 866-277-7477. County correctional facilities may require a separate sheriff search.
Can I find out who checked my CORI?
Yes. Request a self-audit from DCJIS. One self-audit is free every 90 days; an additional request during that period costs $25. Criminal-justice agency inquiries are not included.
When can I seal a Massachusetts conviction?
An eligible misdemeanor may generally be requested for sealing after three years, while an eligible felony generally requires seven years. The period is calculated from the conviction or release from incarceration, whichever occurred later, and later criminal activity can affect eligibility.
What is the difference between sealing and expungement?
Sealing restricts ordinary access while the record remains maintained. Expungement permanently destroys an eligible record so that it is no longer accessible through the court or Massachusetts government agencies.
How do I correct a wrong disposition on my CORI?
Contact the Chief Probation Officer or probation office at the court that handled the charge. Prepare the docket number and certified document showing the correct disposition.
Does CORI include criminal records from other states?
No. Standard CORI is a Massachusetts name-based record check and is not fingerprint supported. An authorized fingerprint-supported check may include qualifying information from Massachusetts and other jurisdictions.