St. Clair County Criminal History

St. Clair County criminal history records are filed through the 20th Judicial Circuit at the courthouse in Belleville, Illinois. This county sits in the Metro East area across from St. Louis and has more than 251,000 residents. Circuit Clerk Kinnis Williams manages court records for criminal cases in St. Clair County. You can search criminal history data online, visit the courthouse, or call the clerk's office to request records. This page covers all the main ways to find criminal history information from St. Clair County.

St. Clair County Circuit Clerk

The St. Clair County Circuit Clerk is Kinnis Williams. The main office is at 10 Public Square, Belleville, Illinois 62220. The phone number is (618) 277-6832 and the fax is (618) 277-1562. This office manages all criminal history court records for the 20th Judicial Circuit, which covers St. Clair County as a single-county circuit.

Every criminal case filed in St. Clair County goes through this office. The clerk's staff processes filings, keeps case records, and provides copies to anyone who requests them. You can get certified copies of criminal history documents by visiting the Belleville courthouse or by submitting a written request. Under the Uniform Conviction Information Act (20 ILCS 2635), conviction data from St. Clair County is public. No reason is needed when asking for conviction records.

Search St. Clair County Criminal History Online

St. Clair County participates in Judici.com, the free online court records system used by 82 Illinois counties. You can search St. Clair County criminal history records by name, case number, or date without creating an account. The results include case numbers, charges, court dates, and disposition data for many cases filed in the 20th Judicial Circuit.

Judici is a good first stop for St. Clair County criminal history lookups. The platform covers criminal, civil, and traffic cases. It updates as the clerk's office processes new filings and case changes. Some records may not appear online, especially sealed or expunged cases. Older criminal history records from before the digital system may also be missing. For those situations, calling the St. Clair County Circuit Clerk at (618) 277-6832 is the best path forward. The staff can search paper records and archived files that have not been loaded into the online system.

St. Clair County is a single-county circuit, so all cases from communities like Belleville, East St. Louis, O'Fallon, and Fairview Heights are filed in one place. That makes searching simpler since you only need to check one court for criminal history records.

Illinois State Resources for St. Clair County

The Illinois State Police Bureau of Identification keeps criminal history data from every county in Illinois, including St. Clair County. A UCIA name-based inquiry is $16.00 by paper or $10.00 through Live Scan. Fingerprint-based checks for state results cost $20.00 by mail or $15.00 through Live Scan. These state-level checks can show criminal history from St. Clair County and any other jurisdiction in Illinois where the person has records.

The Access and Review process lets St. Clair County residents check their own criminal history at no ISP charge. You go to any law enforcement office or licensed Live Scan vendor in the Belleville area, submit fingerprints, and the ISP mails your transcript. Under the Criminal Identification Act (20 ILCS 2630), the ISP is required to provide this record. The last page of the transcript includes a Record Challenge form for disputing any information.

Note: Name-based checks may produce multiple matches if the person used aliases, so fingerprint checks are more accurate for St. Clair County searches.

Clearing Criminal History in St. Clair County

Expunging or sealing a criminal record in St. Clair County requires filing a petition with the circuit clerk at the Belleville courthouse. The Office of the State Appellate Defender explains which records qualify and outlines the steps. Arrests without convictions are the most common type eligible for expungement. Some convictions may be sealed after a waiting period.

The ISP charges $60.00 for processing the court order. St. Clair County court fees may also apply. After the record is expunged, it will not appear in Judici searches or ISP criminal history checks. The process can take several months from filing to completion in St. Clair County.

Cities in St. Clair County

St. Clair County includes Belleville, East St. Louis, O'Fallon, and several other communities. None currently reach the 50,000 population mark for a dedicated page, but all criminal cases from these cities are processed through the 20th Judicial Circuit in Belleville.

Nearby Counties

These counties border St. Clair County. Criminal history records are kept in the county where the original case was filed.