Ooh, goodie, a topic that I know about all too well! I spend quite a few hours a week at work looking at criminal history statements from lots of states. Mostly from Oregon, but I deal with every other state too. From what I've found, most states list everything you've ever been charged with along with the disposition (outcome i.e. convicted, dismissed, and so on). But, they only list crimes, not violations. And, here is the strange part: In most states (mine included), you can submit a form to the state police or department of justice and get a criminal history statement on anyone you want. Yeah, kinda freaky. So, if my neighbor makes me mad and I'm vindictive and want to spread rumors, I can file with the state and recieve a copy of his combined criminal history in the mail. The reason is it's all public record, and cannot be leaglly sealed. I didn't know that until recently, just kinda thought it was surprising.
|