There are several reasons that a person may need to access Wisconsin criminal records. The main reasons these records are requested include pre-employment screening and rental screening. However, these aren’t the only reasons to access criminal records.
When an employer uses information obtained from the Wisconsin Department of Justice to do a criminal background check, only convictions can be used to disqualify an individual. This is regulated by the Wisconsin Fair Employment Law.
Obtaining Wisconsin Criminal Records
The Wisconsin Crime Information Bureau is regulated by the Wisconsin Department of Justice and maintains the centralized criminal history database for the state of Wisconsin. Individuals that would like to request criminal records would need to submit a request using the Wisconsin Online Record Check System(WORCS) website.
This website allows the general public to request Wisconsin criminal records for a fee. You have the option to submit a request by registering on the website or by using the public user option. If you need to obtain criminal records regularly, it is recommended to create an account as a registered user. As a registered user, you will be able to access information by logging into your dashboard.
The fee for an online criminal background check is $7.00. If you request a mail records result you would need to add $5.00 as a processing fee.
Information Found on Wisconsin Criminal Records
The information that is found on the criminal history report is gathered from arresting law enforcement agencies, prosecuting agencies, courts, state criminal history repository, and federal criminal history repository entities. Criminal records are triggered by these entities when an individual receives a citation, violates a law, or is arrested.
When requesting a criminal record, you must verify that it belongs to the person that you are investigating, especially if you are doing a name search. The information contained in the Wisconsin Criminal Records report is deemed accurate as of the date of the request.
Landlords and employers are only able to submit a name-based check which is less accurate than a fingerprint-based check. If the information does not belong to the subject of the search, the process for clarifying the information is to complete and submit the Wisconsin Criminal History Challenge Form along with fingerprints. More information can be found on the website.
Questions about Wisconsin Criminal Records
Answers to questions regarding the results of criminal records requests or submitting a request can be found on the WORCS website. There is a section on the website that provides training material on how to read a criminal record, how to remove information from a criminal record, how to challenge a criminal record, as well as a notice for employers to read.
If you still have questions after reading over the training material and the brochures found on the website, you can contact the Criminal History Unit.
Contact information for the Criminal History Unit:
Criminal History Unit: 608-266-7314
Background Check: CIBRecordCheck@doj.state.wi.us
Criminal History record: CIBCriminalHistory@doj.state.wi.us
The Crime Information Bureau’s hours of operation are Monday-Friday between the hours of 8 am-4 pm.
For technical support, you would need to contact the administrator.