Bexar County Criminal Records

Understanding criminal records and the impact they have on one's livelihood is important to understand. Whether you're looking to clear your record or simply want to know what's included. In Bexar County, like elsewhere, criminal records are detailed accounts of a person's interactions with the criminal justice system. The following guide will you through what criminal records include, how to search for them, and how to go about expunging a criminal record.

What Do Bexar County Criminal Records Include?

Criminal records detail someone's criminal court convictions for infractions, misdemeanors, and felonies. Accessing a person's criminal history will provide a comprehensive history of that person's arrests, convictions, incarcerations, and probation. They also may include active warrants, and infraction charges such as traffic citations.

Arrests: When someone is arrested, law enforcement creates an arrest report for which an individual has been taken into custody. They include specifics such as the date and location, and the alleged crime, providing a snapshot of the incident that led to police involvement. These records can be a significant part in understanding the context of someone's criminal history.

Criminal Charges: Criminal charges refer to the specific allegation against a specific person. These charges can range from minor misdemeanors to serious felonies. Each charge comes with its own legal implications, but will need to be proven in court before becoming a conviction. Everyone is innocent until they are proven to be guilty in the US.

Court Proceedings: Court case proceedings encompass all legal instances related to the respective criminal charges. This includes court proceedings, the outcomes of trials, convictions, and any plea bargains entered. It also details the sentencings, fines, restitution, and probation imposed by the court. These records are important in tracing the legal journey of the accused through the Texas criminal justice system.

Convictions: Convictions records of guilty verdicts, are either through a trial or a plea deal. This section of a criminal record will show the misdemeanor or felony offenses for which someone was found guilty. Convictions go on a person's permanent record, and can influence various life aspects, including employment opportunities and social status. These come up on background checks and are considered public records that anyone can view.

Sentencing Details: Sentencing records include the penalties and punishments assigned following a conviction. This could involve prison incarcerations, jail time, probation, or community service and restitution. Sentencing records show the various legal repercussions faced by a guilty conviction, and are a key component of their criminal history.

Parole and Probation: Parole or probation status indicates whether someone is currently under supervision. This part of the record reveals ongoing legal obligations, such as meeting with a parole officer or adhering to certain conditions set by the court. These often expire after a set amount of time, or until the conditions are met for each conviction.

How to Search Bexar County Criminal Records

If you need to search for Bexar County criminal records you have a few options to choose from, depending on what your uses are. In the following section we will outline how to run a criminal records search for both personal reasons, and official uses. Here are the various methods that are publicly accessible.

Justice Information Portal: One of the easiest ways to access criminal records is through the county's Justice Portal. Through this portal, users can access criminal convictions that were heard by the Criminal District Court. This portal allows users to lookup specific misdemeanor and felony convictions, find wanted fugitives

Texas DPS: The Texas Department of Public Safety offers a public portal where users can search for criminal history records. This service offers a more comprehensive detailed report of a person's past. These reports include all the criminal offenses and convictions in a person's history. The Texas DPS also offers multiple types of reports, some for official uses, and others for personal reference.

County Clerk: You can also visit, or call the County Clerk's Office to help with accessing records. At the office, trained personnel can assist you in accessing the specific records you need. You can request access to official criminal records, providing a more personalized experience, that can be used for all kinds of utilities. Simply let the personnel know what your intended uses are for the records and they will get you the appropriate information.

Professional Services: If you're having difficulty navigating the system or need extensive records, consider using a professional background check service. These are online services that usually charge a fee but can save you time and effort. Using this type of service will offer a more comprehensive record of a person's criminal past. These will not only show criminal records for all of Texas, but any other state in the US. 

How to Expunge a Criminal Record in Bexar County

Expungement is a formal legal process that allows eligible people to have their criminal record removed or sealed. However, not all records are eligible for expungement, but if you qualify, it can be very helpful for future opportunities. Here is the breakdown of how to go about expunging a record.

1). Eligibility for Expungement: First, to qualify for expungement, you generally need to meet the required criteria. This might be from your charges being dismissed, or you were found not guilty. This situation is the most ideal for expungement as there is no conviction on record. Another example is if you were found guilty and completed your sentence and paid all the required fines, you can then appeal to the courts for an expunction.

2). Completed Deferred Adjudication: If you have successfully completed a deferred adjudication program, which is eligible for certain misdemeanors. This involves completing the terms set by the court, that might include community service or probation. Once this is completed, you can apply for expungement, if eligible. This option is handy for those who have demonstrated rehabilitation and completed all the sentencing requirements by the courts.

3). Consult an Attorney: It may be in your best interest to consult with an attorney to determine eligibility and to help you through the process. An attorney will have experience in these matters and can be helpful with court procedures and best practices.

4). Court Hearing: Once you've determined eligibility and have an action plan, you will need to attend a court hearing where a judge will decide whether to grant the expunction. This step may involve presenting evidence and answering questions about your eligibility. An attorney will be super helpful in this sate of the expungement process.

How Do I Run a Bexar County Criminal Background Check?

If you want to lookup not just one, but every criminal conviction for a person there are a couple of options to consider. First, through the Texas Department of Public Health, you can pay to run a comprehensive Criminal History Search on someone. This will show every conviction in the state of Texas that a person has been found guilty of. The other option, if you want to find nationwide results, you can run a Criminal Background Check through a privately run Background Check website. The privately run resources often include more information than can be found from legacy government resources.

Is It Easy to Run a Bexar Criminal Record Search?

Yes, it is a very simple process. All you need to know is the complete name of the person you want to search. It is also helpful to know their age or date of birth as many people have similar names. Then using either the Texas DPS website, or various public record websites, you can access someone's complete criminal history.