Idaho Criminal Records

Idaho Criminal Records

Idaho criminal records are considered as public records. This means that non-law enforcement,
non-criminal justice agencies and individuals may receive copies of Idaho criminal records should
they so request. The Idaho criminal records are maintained by BCI or the Idaho Bureau of
Criminal Identification. More often than not, this type of service performed by the BCI is used to
conduct background checks for licensing. Also, Idaho criminal records checks are key elements
and important requirements for employment screening.

The Idaho Code 67-3008 Provisions

The Idaho code 67-3008 (6) states "A person or private agency, or public agency, other than the
department, shall not disseminate criminal history record information obtained from the
department to a person or agency that is not a criminal justice agency or a court without a signed
release of the subject of record or unless otherwise provided by law." Therefore, if you're
employer wishing to perform an Idaho criminal records check on a prospective hire, you would
need that person's written permission in the form of a signed release before you could get a copy
form the BCI.

By the same law, Idaho criminal records of juveniles are considered as confidential and should
therefore not be disclosed to the public. To concur with the law, juvenile Idaho criminal records
are not included in the BCI database. The only time that a juvenile's Idaho criminal records may
be revealed is if he or she was adjudicated as an adult. And even then, only the record of that
event is available and not the juvenile Idaho criminal records.

What Information can you get from Idaho Criminal Records?

The Idaho criminal records contained in the BCI database include information based on the felony
and serious misdemeanor arrests. These are incidents reported to the BCI from Idaho criminal
justice agencies. According to the law, law enforcement authorities and criminal justice agencies
must submit fingerprint cards along with the criminal arrest report to BCI. If not, the reports will
not be included in the database and the Idaho criminal records will not be present on an Idaho
criminal history.

There are some instances where a record of arrest is made and is found at the local level but not
within the state criminal history. The Idaho criminal records database contains information about
Idaho arrest only. It does not include information on other state's records, FBI records, or subjects
convicted in federal court.

What Information is NOT contained in Idaho Criminal Records?

Idaho criminal records only contain information on serious misdemeanors and acts of felony. It
does not contain data about minor misdemeanors, local code violations, and traffic violations.
Felony-driving violations are recorded however while misdemeanor traffic violations are
maintained by the Idaho Transportation Department.

Correcting Charges on Idaho Criminal Records

All arrest events in the Idaho criminal records database are supported by fingerprints. However,
there are some rare cases wherein you might find that your Idaho criminal records contain
charges that do not belong to you. If this happens, you can dispute the accuracy of the
information obtained in a background check. To do this, you may request for a certified copy of
your Idaho criminal records by following the instructions in the fingerprint check information.
There are no fees involved as when challenging a record, the fingerprint-based check is
processed free of charge.