How to Get Your Mississippi Criminal History Record

Why You Need Your Own Record Before Filing Anything

Before you can file an expungement petition in Mississippi, you need to know exactly what is on your criminal record at the state level. The Mississippi Criminal Information Center (MCIC), housed within the Department of Public Safety (DPS), maintains the state's central criminal history repository. This is the state's central source for state-level criminal-history checks.

Pulling your own record accomplishes two things: it confirms which charges are actually visible on your rap sheet (not every arrest makes it into the system), and it reveals whether any disqualifying convictions or pending charges exist that would block your expungement.

Two Types of Background Checks

Mississippi offers two ways to check your own criminal history, using different matching methods.

Name-based background check: This is a search of Mississippi state criminal-history records using identifying information rather than fingerprints. It is the lower-friction option, but it can miss records when the identifying information does not match exactly.

Fingerprint-based background check: This is the more thorough state-level option. Your fingerprints are submitted to the DPS Criminal Information Center so the record can be matched to the MCIC database.

For expungement purposes, the fingerprint-based state check is strongly recommended because it gives the DPS a fingerprint-based match to your Mississippi record.

How to Request a Fingerprint-Based Record

The process for obtaining your official Mississippi criminal history through fingerprints:

1. Get a fingerprint card. Follow the DPS Criminal Information Center's current instructions for completing it
2. Complete the Background Check Authorization Form (Form 539). This form is available from the DPS Criminal Information Center
3. Submit the fingerprint card and form to the DPS along with the $32 processing fee. You can mail these to the Criminal Information Center at 3891 Hwy 468 West, Pearl, MS 39208
4. Wait for processing. Processing times vary, so check the DPS instructions for current timing

The DPS will return a report listing all Mississippi criminal history entries associated with your fingerprints, including arrests, charges, dispositions, and sentencing information.

Reading Your Record

When your report arrives, pay attention to the following for each entry:

• Charge and statute cited — This determines which expungement pathway applies. A misdemeanor under § 99-19-71(1) follows different rules than a felony under § 99-19-71(2)
• Disposition — Was the case dismissed, nonadjudicated, or resulted in a conviction? Dismissed cases have the most straightforward path to expungement
• Court of jurisdiction — Municipal, justice, county, or circuit court. Your expungement petition must be filed in this exact court
• Sentencing status — Whether all fines, fees, restitution, and supervision terms have been completed. Outstanding balances block eligibility

If anything on the report looks wrong — a case listed as a conviction when it was actually dismissed, or a charge attributed to the wrong person — you will need to correct the record with the originating court before filing your expungement petition.

Comparing Your State Record to Court Records

Your DPS report shows what the state database contains, but it may not match what the local court clerk has on file. Mississippi's court system is decentralized, and not all courts report dispositions to the MCIC consistently. It is possible for a case to show as "open" in the state database even though the court dismissed it years ago.

Before filing your petition, get certified copies of the disposition from the actual court where the case was resolved. If there is a discrepancy between the court's records and the MCIC report, your expungement petition should reference the court's records and request that the MCIC correct its database as part of the expungement order.

After Expungement: Verify the Public Record Has Been Updated

Once your expungement order is signed, the court clerk forwards a certified copy to the MCIC, which removes the record from the state's central public criminal database. Wait 30 to 60 days, then request another criminal history check to confirm it no longer appears in the public state record. This verification step catches processing delays before they become problems during a future background check.

The Mississippi Expungement & Record Sealing Guide includes detailed instructions for requesting your criminal history, interpreting the results, and matching each entry against Mississippi's eligibility rules for the correct expungement pathway.

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