[header] How to access criminal court records [title] Look in the right place. [step] Your first impulse might be to look for a criminal record wherever the person you're researching lives. That's a good starting point, but courts file their records where the offense. 
If you know where a specific crime took place, look for the record in that state or county. [substeps] Many states don't allow you to access juvenile records if they're sealed.