Legal Definitions - arrest record

An arrest record refers to the official documentation created when an individual is taken into police custody. It can specifically mean the paperwork generated at the time of a single arrest, detailing the circumstances, charges, and personal information of the arrested person. More broadly, it can also refer to a comprehensive history or cumulative list of all instances where an individual has been arrested by law enforcement agencies.

• Scenario: After a person is apprehended for shoplifting, the police officer at the station fills out a detailed form that includes the individual's name, date of birth, the specific charge, the time and location of the arrest, and any items recovered.

  Explanation: This initial, specific form completed by the officer immediately after the person is brought to the station is an example of an arrest record in its most immediate sense, documenting a single incident.

• Scenario: A company conducting a pre-employment background check for a financial position requests a report on a job applicant. The report reveals that the applicant was arrested twice in the past decade for minor offenses, even though both cases were eventually dismissed.

  Explanation: The report received by the company, which compiles all instances of the applicant being taken into custody over a period, illustrates the broader meaning of an arrest record as a cumulative history of arrests.

• Scenario: A public defender is preparing to represent a client charged with a new offense. To understand the client's legal history and potential patterns, the attorney requests and reviews a full printout from the state's criminal information system, which lists every time the client has ever been arrested by any law enforcement agency, regardless of whether those arrests led to convictions.

  Explanation: The comprehensive printout detailing all prior instances of the client being arrested serves as their complete arrest record, providing a historical overview for legal strategy.