Hinds County Arrest Records

In Hinds County, an officer of the law may arrest a person with or without a warrant if the suspect committed a criminal act or a breach of the peace or attempted or threatened to breach the peace. A law enforcement officer may also arrest an individual without a warrant if there is probable cause to believe the person has committed a felony, misdemeanor, or other criminal offense.

When a person is arrested, the arresting agency, usually the Hinds County Sheriff's Office or Municipal Police Departments like the Bryam or Clinton Police Department, generates the arrest record to document that arrest and reports all records to the Mississippi Department of Public Safety.

After the arrestee is taken to the police station for booking, the judge may set bail depending on the severity of the offense. If bail is denied, the accused will be arraigned before a judge, where the charges will be formally read, and they shall be asked to enter a plea or contest the charges. Hinds County court records are created throughout this process to document and include information about the arrest, charges, arraignment, plea, and subsequent trials and court proceedings. Hinds County Court records and arrest records are accessible to members of the public.

Are Arrest Records Public in Hinds County?

Yes. Under the Mississippi Public Records Act, all public records must be available for inspection and copying to any person unless otherwise provided by the act. The law also imposes a duty on record custodians and public agencies to preserve and not interfere with an individual's right to access these records. All agencies, including law enforcement agencies, must ensure reasonable access to electronic records.

It is important to note that Access to Hinds County arrest records is not absolute. This right is subject to restrictions necessary to prevent interference with law enforcement investigations and to maintain the safety and privacy of individuals connected with or named in such records. Arrest information or records may typically be exempt from public disclosure in Hinds County, including:

• Records that may reveal the identity of informants or witnesses
• Records that may compromise law enforcement investigation
• Records that may deprive a person of the right to a fair trial and impartial adjudication
• Records that may endanger the life and safety of a public officer, law enforcement personnel, confidential informant, or witnesses
• Juvenile records
• Expunged or privileged records.

What Do Public Arrest Records Contain?

Public arrest records in Hinds County, Mississippi, may generally contain the following information:

• The identity of the arrested person: their full name, alias (if any), address, mugshot, and date of birth.
• Physical description of the arrestee: sex, race, height, scars, tattoos, and eye color.
• Arrest information: Arrest and booking time and date, arresting agency, arrest county, bail amount, place of incarceration, and release information.
• Case number
• Charge: The class of offense (felony, misdemeanor, traffic, or other minor offenses), specific offense, and degree of the offense.
• Charges: A brief description of the charges, the specific offense, counts, and a class of offense (felony, misdemeanor)
• Outstanding warrants and previous charges
• Bail and bond information
• Court details: Scheduled court dates
• Holding facility
• Case status.

Hinds County Crime Rate

Per the Mississippi Crime Statistics for 2023, the crime rate for property crimes, violent crimes, and crimes against society were as follows:

• Property Crimes: In 2023, law enforcement agencies in Hinds County reported 658 property crimes. The most prevalent reported incidents were larceny (401), motor vehicle theft (91), fraud (73), burglary (53), embezzlement (23), and robbery(13).
• Violent crimes: 48 reported incidents of violent crimes with a 43.75% clearance rate. The offenses falling in this category are - Aggravated assault (24), robbery (13), non-consensual sex offenses (9), and murder (2). The victims affected by these crimes were mainly between 18-24, 25-34, and 35-44. Additionally, 44.2% of the total number of victims of violent crimes were male, and 55.8% were female.
• Crimes against society: Hinds County Sheriff's office and other municipal law enforcement agencies reported 445 crimes against society, including drug offenses (368), weapon offenses (73), prostitution (3), gambling, pornography/obscene material (1), and animal cruelty.

Hinds County Arrest Statistics

Most arrests in Hinds County are on the grounds of drug abuse violations, larceny, disorderly conduct, simple assault, and carrying/possession of weapons. Per the 2023 crimes against society statistics, there were 319 arrests for drug offenses. According to the 2022 Federal Bureau of Investigation 2022 arrest statistics for Hinds County, law enforcement agencies made 1,855 arrests. The breakdown of this figure is as follows:

• Byram Police Department (365 arrests)
• Clinton Police Department (1,389 arrests)
• Reservoir Police Department (78 arrests)
• Raymond Police Department (23 arrests).

Find Hinds County Arrest Records

Hinds County has a County Sheriff's Office and other municipal police departments responsible for maintaining law and order and arresting offenders within its jurisdiction. The Sheriff's office keeps the peace, presents arrested persons before the circuit court, serves as the county jailor, and keeps arrest logs.

The Hinds County sheriff does not maintain an online index of arrest records. So, to find arrest records in Hinds County, visit the records unit of the relevant police department during standard office hours. In compliance with the Mississippi Public Records Act, the Hinds County Sheriff's Office must make arrest and inmate records available for inspection and copying upon request.

Hinds County Sheriff's Office
407 E Pascagoula Street
P.O. Box 686
Jackson, MS 39205-0686

Mailing Address:
P.O. Box 1452
Jackson, MS 39215-1452
Phone: (601) 974-2900
Fax: (601) 968-6705

Interested persons can look up inmate records online at the Hinds County Inmate Query site. To view information on incarcerated persons, simply enter the inmate's name, arrest date, or city of arrest. One may also contact the county detention centers at their hotlines to request inmate records.

Free Arrest Record Search in Hinds County

While there is no state or county online database for arrest records in Hinds County, here are some options one can explore:

• Hinds County Court Records: When an offender is formally charged for the commission of a criminal act by the state prosecutor, the circuit/county court clerk prepares a court record to document all events and trial proceedings for that case. Thus, criminal case court records contain basic arrest information. Interested persons can find the arrestee's name and identity, mugshot, date and time of arrest, charges, warrants, bail and bond information, holding facility, etc.
• Hinds County Jail Records: arrest information on persons incarcerated in Hinds County Detention Facilities may be found online at the Hinds County Inmate Query website.
• Third-Party Search Websites: Although third-party public records search sites are often not free, some may offer affordable or low-cost payment plans.

Get Hinds County Criminal Records

A criminal record is an official document maintained by the Mississippi Department of Public Safety to record an individual's criminal conviction history. It is also commonly referred to as a criminal history or rap sheet. A criminal record may contain arrests, pending charges, convictions, warrants, sentencing information, probation, parole, and time spent in jail or prison.

Hinds County criminal records include detailed information on the crime a person was charged with, the class of the offense, the date of the offense, sentencing, place of incarceration, probation, eligibility for parole, fines, outstanding warrants, etc. Criminal records are primarily in the custody of the County Circuit Court Clerk and the Mississippi Department of Public Safety.

The Mississippi Department of Public Safety is the head agency of the Criminal Information Center (CIC) and criminal history information in Mississippi. The CIC maintains the state's criminal records and provides fingerprint identification services to other state and county law enforcement agencies in Mississippi and throughout the United States.

Interested persons can find criminal history information online at the Mississippi Sex Offender Registry or the Automated Fingerprint Identification System (AFIS). This super enables the CIC to provide comprehensive rap sheets, search FBI records, and process independent fingerprint background searches.

At the county level, individuals can request copies of criminal case records from the Hinds County Clerk of the Circuit Court. Although court records are not as comprehensive as criminal records for this purpose, Hinds Criminal Court records are a good place to begin a criminal history search. Researchers can find case information like the full name of the parties, charges, bail information, convictions, appeals, eligibility for parole, transcripts, and audio recordings of criminal case trials.

Hinds County Arrest Records Vs. Criminal Records

Arrest records in Hinds County were created by the law enforcement agency that made the arrest. An arrest record is not an indication of guilt. It is a document that shows that a person was arrested at a stated location, date, or time for an act that constitutes a violation of state or federal criminal laws.

A criminal record contains information about a person's contact with the criminal justice system. It comes to be once a person has been convicted or found guilty of a criminal offense. It records a person's arrest, prosecution, and convictions. Criminal history records may be important or considered for employment, visa applications, insurance, and sometimes housing.

How Long Do Arrests Stay on Your Record?

Arrests stay on a person's record indefinitely. Once the law enforcement agency transfers the record of arrest to the Mississippi Crime Information Centre, it remains on a person's public record forever. A petition to expunge non-conviction arrest records may be filed a year after the arrest. Unless expunged, records of arrests or prosecution remain public information. An order for expunction returns a person to the status they were before their arrest; it directs all public agencies to delete records of such arrests from their database and retract it from publically accessible platforms.

Expunge Hinds County Arrest Records

Any person arrested, issued a citation, or apprehended for any misdemeanor and not formally charged or prosecuted with an offense within twelve (12) months of arrest or is formally charged. The case is dismissed and may apply to the court with jurisdiction over the matter for the records of arrest and charges to be expunged (MS Code § 99-15-59).

Upon petition, a judge or justice of the county, circuit, or municipal court shall expunge the record of any case in which an arrest was made, the person arrested was released, the case was dismissed, or the charges were dropped, or there was no disposition of such case (MS Code § 99-19-71 (2)).

In line with the provisions of MS Code § 99-15-26, an accused may enter a plea to withhold the acceptance of a guilty plea and sentence pending the completion of conditions for release imposed by the sitting court (restitution of the victim, fine, performance of no less than 960 hours of public service work approved by the court, amongst others). Once the court-imposed conditions are completed, the court shall direct that the cause be dismissed and the case closed. Following such dismissal, one may petition the court to expunge the records of the case in which an arrest was made, the person arrested was released, and the case was dismissed, or the charges were dropped, there was no disposition of such case, or the person was found not guilty at trial (§ 99-15-26 (5)).

Summarily, an arrestee may be eligible and can petition the circuit court to expunge the records of their arrest if the offense is a misdemeanor and:

• They were not formally charged or prosecuted within 12 months of the arrest.
• Case was dismissed
• Charges were dropped
• No disposition of the case
• Case was remanded to file.
• An Order of Nolle Prosequi (not prosecuted) was issued.
• The case was not billed (not indicted)
• The offender was sentenced to Pre-Trial Diversion.
• The offender was placed on Non-Adjudicated probation.
• They were sentenced in Drug Court.

Where a person is arrested for a federal felony offense, the record of the arrest is not eligible for an expunction. Likewise, a person may not be eligible to expunge records of arrest for a felony offense if they were convicted of any of the offenses below:

• A crime of violence, arson, first-degree
• Trafficking in controlled substances
• A third, fourth, or subsequent offense DUI
• Felon in possession of a firearm
• Failure to register as a sex offender
• Voyeurism
• Witness intimidation
• Abuse, neglect, or exploitation of a vulnerable person
• Embezzlement.

Hinds County Arrest Warrants

An arrest warrant is a directive issued by a judge commanding a law enforcement officer to arrest the named defendant where there is probable cause that the defendant has committed a criminal offense (Miss. R. Crim. P. 3.1).

An arrest warrant issued in the state of Mississippi shall contain the full name of the defendant, where his name is unknown, any name or description by which the defendant can be identified with reasonable certainty, and the defendant's location. It shall also state the offense with which the defendant is charged and command that the defendant be arrested and brought before the issuing judge or the nearest or most accessible judge having jurisdiction (Miss. R. Crim. P. 3.2).

Hinds County Arrest Warrant Search

Interested persons may contact or visit the Hinds County circuit court clerk or call the Sheriff's Office at (601) 974-2900 for inquiries about outstanding arrest warrants in the county. Another place to find warrant information is the Mississippi Department of Public Safety's Most Wanted List.

Do Hinds County Arrest Warrants Expire?

No, they do not. Once a warrant is issued, it remains active until a judge recalls it or the case is resolved. There is no statute of limitation for warrants. A person can be arrested for a warrant issued years after committing the crime. Under the Sixth Amendment, a defendant has a right to a speedy trial, so law enforcement officers are charged to apprehend the suspect within a reasonable time.