The Criminal Records and Identification Bureau (R&I) is the designated central repository for criminal history information in the State of Alaska. Criminal justice agencies are required to report criminal justice events to the central repository (i.e., arresting agencies report arrests, prosecutors report charges declined for prosecution, and courts report dispositions to charges that have been filed). The Alaska Public Safety Information Network (APSIN) is the database through which criminal history information is maintained and made available to the public and the criminal justice community.

Other criminal justice agencies such as the Alaska Court System may have public information databases, however, the summary information that is maintained by the Criminal Records and Identification Bureau is confidential, and may only be released as authorized by law.

The central repository of criminal history information maintains Alaska criminal history information in APSIN. The FBI National Crime Information Center maintains criminal history information from all 50 states as well as federal jurisdictions in a national criminal database. This national summary information is also confidential, and may only be released as authorized by state and federal law.

Who can get information about my criminal history?

Criminal history information maintained by the Criminal Records & Identification Bureau is confidential. Alaska laws and regulations govern how information is maintained and disseminated by the central repository of criminal justice information. The Criminal Records and Identification Bureau (R&I) provides state and national background checks to individuals and employers based on strict guidelines provided under AS 12.62.160, 13 AAC 68 and Pub L. 92-544.

You must provide written permission or your fingerprints to an individual or agency requesting criminal justice information for employment or licensing purposes.

Criminal history record information maintained by the Repository is available to criminal justice agencies for criminal justice purposes.

What criminal history reports are available?   

Criminal Justice Information reports available to the public include:

1. Information available to the subject of the record. This report will include:
   • Past Conviction Information
   • Current Offender Information
   • Criminal Identification Information
   • Nonconviction Information
   • Sealed Information
   • Correctional Treatment Information (if available)
2. Information available to ‘any person’. This report will include:
   • Past Conviction Information
   • Current Offender Information
   • Criminal Identification Information
3. Information available to ‘an interested person’. An ‘Interested Person’ is defined (AS 12.62.900(18)) as a person that employs, appoints, or permits a person to serve with or without compensation in a position in which the employed, appointed, or permitted person has or would have supervisory or disciplinary power over a minor or dependent adult. Reports released to an ‘interested person’ include;
   • Past Conviction Information
   • Current Offender Information
   • Criminal Identification Information
   • Nonconviction Information
   • Correctional Treatment Information (if available)
4. Information authorized by another state or federal statute. The Criminal Records and Identification Bureau will release all information authorized to be released pursuant to an authorized state or federal law. You must include a copy of the state or federal statute with the appropriately completed form or fingerprints with your request.

As the subject of a criminal history record maintained by the Alaska Central Repository of Criminal History, you are entitled to view or purchase a copy of all criminal justice information in our files. You may request either a name based check or a fingerprint based check. The fee for a name-based check is $20. You must submit a check or money order along with the completed name based form to the Records & Identification Bureau at the address listed on the form or appear in person at any of the locations on our ‘walk-in’ list. The fee for a fingerprint based background check is $35 (The Criminal Records & Identification Bureau will check Alaska records only). See question: “Where should I go to get criminal history informat?” sub-item 3: “Fingerprint based state background checks” below for additional information on submitting fingerprint cards.

If you are a potential employer/licensing agent of a current or former Alaska resident and wish to obtain an Alaska Criminal History record report, you may request either a fingerprint-based or name-based background check report. The information that is available to you is dependent on the work the potential or current employee will be doing. If the employee/licensee will be working with children or dependent adults, you are entitled to receive information available to an interested person. If you are requesting a criminal history background check pursuant to another state or federal statute, you are entitled to obtain the information authorized to be released under that statute. You must include a copy of the state or federal statute with your request. For all other requests, you will receive a report of information authorized to be received by ‘any person’. Complete the Request for Criminal Justice Information form and submit the request, along with payment of the fee, to the address listed on the form.

For state and national background checks, a copy of the subject’s state and federal criminal history information is sent to the requesting agency (if they are authorized to received the report directly) and to the subject (if releasable criminal history record information exists). If the agency is not entitled to receive a complete copy of the report the agency will be notified if the subject meets their background qualifications or will be forwarded to a government agency responsible for making licensing or employment determinations

How much does a criminal history report cost?