Michigan Criminal Records

Criminal records in Michigan are official papers that contain precise information about a person's criminal history in the state. Michigan Criminal Records provide information such as arrest records, convictions, dispositions, and indictments within the state's four prisons.

The Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) lets you see criminal records in Michigan. The general public can also copy case records under state law. However, this state's public criminal record search may have restrictions if it contains sensitive information.

The Michigan State Police (MSP) is in charge of keeping criminal records in the state. You can find this data by searching the Internet Criminal History Access Tool (ICHAT) by names or fingerprints.

More specifically, a Michigan Criminal Record will show you the following:

• Information about the subject (full name, birth date, sex, and race)
• Any aliases
• Fingerprints
• Mugshots or photograph
• Current and old addresses
• Past and present offenses and indictments
• Previous arrests and warrants
• Status of a sex offender
• The arresting agency, police, sheriff, state police, etc.

The information in Michigan Criminal Records varies depending on the committed offense. Most of the time, if you break the law in the state, the following crimes will show up on your record:

Felonies

In Michigan, felonies are significant crimes that carry a term of more than a year in jail. Michigan law divides felonies into eight classes, from Class A felonies (the most severe) to Class H felonies (less severe).

Class A Felony

In Michigan, assault with a deadly weapon with the intent to steal, abduction, first and second-degree murder, and first-degree criminal sexual conduct are all Class A felonies. These felonies carry life or any number of years in prison sentences.

Class B Felony

Class B felonies include second-degree arson, child pornography, and second-degree child abuse (second or subsequent offense). By committing these crimes, you can go to prison for 20 years.

Class C Felony

Class C felonies involve robbery, human trafficking, and manslaughter. For this kind of felony, you could go to prison for up to 15 years.

Class D Felony

Theft of property worth over $20,000 and trafficking in people are all Class D felonies. If you commit a Class D felony, you could spend up to 10 years in prison.

Class E Felony

Class E felonies include shoplifting, illegally carrying a dangerous weapon, and third-degree home invasion. Those who commit this crime will spend five years in prison.

Class F Felony

Class F felonies include making, delivering, or possessing not more than 5 kilos of marijuana and submitting improper loan or credit applications. This kind of felony has a maximum sentence of four years in jail.

Class G Felony

Assaulting a family member, lobbyists giving gifts, and writing bad checks for more than $500 are all examples of Class G felonies. A person who commits this type of felony will spend two years in prison.

Class H Felony

Class H felonies include using a fake or stolen ID to conduct a felony and misusing personal information. If you commit this felony, you could go to jail or get a sentence like probation, treatment, or electronic monitoring instead. The Michigan Sentencing Guidelines set different punishments for each of these crimes.

How long do felony records stay on file? In Michigan, any felony stays on your record for the rest of your life. An expungement is the only way to cover your history. Felony records are cleaned ten years after sentencing or release from prison. However, there can't be any new convictions during the waiting period.

Misdemeanor

Misdemeanor records are less severe crimes than felonies. Like every other state, Michigan has put its misdemeanors into different categories. In this state, a misdemeanor record can fall into three types:

High Court Misdemeanors

High court misdemeanors are the most severe under this type, leading to up to two years in jail, a $2,000 fine, or both. Some examples under this record include domestic assault for the second time, vehicular homicide, and indecent exposure.

1-Year Misdemeanors

In Michigan, misdemeanor records that can put someone up to a year in prison include:

• Theft (of $200 or more but less than $1,000)
• Retail fraud in the second degree (shoplifting)
• Intentional gun discharge

If someone is guilty of any of the above misdemeanors, the court can send them to jail, fine them up to $1,000, or do both.

93-Day Misdemeanors

Assault and violence, disturbing the peace, and embezzlement of property or money worth less than $200 are all misdemeanors that can put someone up to 93 days imprisonment or a fine of up to $500. Those who commit this offense may face charges under local or state law.

A misdemeanor conviction in Michigan can stay on your record for years or even for life unless expunged. However, you need to wait for seven years for you to remove your history.

Criminal Driving Violations

Michigan law has three categories of criminal driving violations: civil infractions, traffic misdemeanors, and traffic felonies. Sanctions depend on the charge, but they can include fines, license suspension, and jail time for misdemeanor traffic offenses.

Civil Infractions

The least severe crime is a civil infraction, for which the only criminal penalty is a fine. The Michigan Vehicle Code has a long list of violations for which you could get a ticket or even be guilty of a misdemeanor. These are just a few examples, but some of the most common civil infractions are:

• Violation of a red light or a stop sign
• Failing to stop for a school bus
• Speeding
• Careless Driving

Traffic Misdemeanor

A traffic misdemeanor conviction can result in a fine or up to 12 months in county prison. Here are some traffic misdemeanor records:

• DUI/OWI
• Reckless Driving
• Racing/Drag Racing

Traffic Felony

A traffic felony record is usually a crime for which the minimum punishment is one year in state prison and a fine.

• Here are some types of felony traffic crimes in Michigan:
• Hit and Run
• OWI or DUI that causes severe injury or death
• Multiple DUI/OWI offenses

How long do criminal traffic violations in Michigan stay on your record? In Michigan, every ticket you get will remain on your record for two years from the guilty date. However, like felony and misdemeanor records, most severe criminal driving violations stay on file for life in the state unless expunged.

Sexual Offenses

Sexual offense records in Michigan include unwanted sexual contact without consent or using intimidation, force, coercion, or threat of force. 16 is the consent age in this state, and people who do sexual things with children under this age may be guilty of statutory rape, also known as criminal sexual conduct (CSC).

The age of the child is the deciding factor in CSC proceedings. Although the minor consent to the sexual contact, the subject can be convicted. Here are some examples of sexual offenses in the state.

Criminal Sexual Conduct in the First Degree

By committing to CSC in the first degree, you can spend a minimum of 25 years in jail and up to life. It involves any sexual contact with a child under 16 when the adult is:

• A close relative
• A foster care provider at the time of the assault
• A teacher or someone in authority

Criminal Sexual Conduct in the Second Degree

Second-degree CSC is a felony, and those who commit it face up to 15 years in jail. This offense involves touching other than penetration that arouses or satisfies sexual desire with a child under 16 when the adult is:

• A teacher or authority figure
• A family member
• A foster care provider when a sexual encounter happened

Criminal Sexual Conduct in the Third Degree

Like the first and second categories, third-degree CSC is a felony with a sentence of up to 15 years in jail. This crime involves oral or anal sex, intercourse, or little digital penetration with:

• A victim aged between 13 to 16
• A 16 or 17-year-old if the defendant was a foster care provider or a teacher

Criminal Sexual Conduct in the Fourth Degree

This type of CSC is a less severe crime, but it still carries a punishment of up to two years in jail or $500 in fines or both. It involves sexual intercourse with:

• A victim ages between 13 to 16 years old when the defendant is at least five years older
• A 16 or 17-year-old if the defendant was a teacher, foster care, or school staff

How long does a record of a sexual offense stay in Michigan? A conviction for sexual assault can usually remain on your record for life.

If you are an adult guilty of sex offenses against children, you must register as a sex offender in the Michigan Public Sex Offender Registry (PSOR). Under the state's Sex Offender Registration Act (SORA), the MSP makes the PSOR available to the public.

An expungement in Michigan is a way to clean past crimes from someone's public record. The Clean Slate Act, which entered into force in 2021, significantly modified the Expungement Laws in the state.

This new law widens eligibility to petition for expungement. It introduces a process that automatically seals certain non-violent conviction records after some time (seven years for misdemeanors and ten years for felonies).

How to File Expungement in Michigan?

At the moment, the whole process of expungement can take up to eight months. Here's how to get an old record expunged in Michigan:

• Send in your application. All expungement applications are accessible on the website under "Applications & Checklists".
• The MSP handles expungement applications. Once MSP has all the paperwork it needs, it could take up to two months to process your Criminal History Report.
• Wait for the Department of Attorney General's response to the Criminal History Report within three months.
• After that, you'll have the expungement hearing.

Who Can Get an Expungement in Michigan?

In Michigan, a person can remove their record if they meet the following requirements :

• An individual with no more than one felony and two misdemeanor convictions
• An individual with no felony convictions and no more than two misdemeanor convictions

Usually, the person who wants their record expunged must testify under oath at the hearing. Here is the basic form you need to fill out to ask for an expungement. You can also find more information about the process on this page.

Michigan Inmate Records contain information about who goes into, stays in, and gets out of prisons and detention centers in the state.

You can conduct an inmate search on the Michigan Department of Corrections (MDOC) Offender Tracking Information System (OTIS) .

An inmate's record contains a variety of information. In Michigan, publicly available inmate records include the following information:

• Inmate's personal information (name, gender, race, and date of birth)
• Any aliases
• Weight and Height
• Social security number
• DOC ID
• Booking photo
• Inmate's current location
• Date of the expected release

Michigan Arrest Records are papers that detail the arrests of individuals detained by state and local law enforcement organizations.

In Michigan, arrest warrants are court orders that tell the police to hold certain people.

The officer in charge will get the arrestee's name and the alleged offense during the booking process. The suspect may then be searched and fingerprinted. Following the interrogation, the authority will take a photograph of the arrestee.

The sheriff's office or local police department usually keeps arrest records in Michigan. These authorities provide a website where people can look up free Michigan arrest records.

But not all mugshots from recent arrests are always in these databases. You can also look up public arrest records by calling or writing to the agency that made the arrest.

The following information is in a Michigan Arrest Record:

• Information about an arrestee (name, gender, and date of birth)
• Arrest time and place
• Summary of the arresting offense
• The officer who made the arrest
• Name and address of the jail or state detention center holding the suspect

Many employers do background checks on prospective applicants to assess their criminal backgrounds. In Michigan, most of this information is public record and is accessible on the websites of government agencies such as MSP.

You can look up a person's criminal record using ICHAT. This tool charges $10 per subject.

Other than ICHAT, you can also use other technologies to search for public records in Michigan. Aside from these, other methods exist to find criminal records in Michigan. It includes the MDOC, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), courts, local police departments, and private companies.