The South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED) provides a name-based search for criminal records in its Citizens Access to Criminal Histories program (CATCH). Obtaining criminal information is open to the public but has a $25 charge.
To retrieve a criminal record, the name of the person concerned (first name, last name, and the optional maiden name), date of birth, and social security number must be entered into the given fields. Before the search begins, your credit card will be charged $25.
Aside from offering online access to criminal records, SLED also accepts mail requests. A fully accomplished Record Check Form, which can be downloaded from SLED's website, must be sent to:
SLED Records Department
PO Box 21398
Columbia SC 29221
The form must be sent in a self-addressed stamp envelope together with the $25 fee.
Besides the criminal records check, SLED website also has sections for the following:
Cold Case
Crime Reporting & Statistics
Criminal Justice Information Services
Methamphetamine Tracking/NPLEx
Private Investigations & Security Licenses/Registrations
Unidentified Remains
Vulnerable Adult
Wanted/Unsolved
SLED also has an active Sex Offender Registry, wherein convicted sex offenders records can be accessed at no charge. This is a community notification tool that allows the public to monitor sex offenders' locations and compliance. The website has an easy search tool, facilitating searches using different categories: by area, by name, by city.
South Carolina Department of Corrections (SCDC), meanwhile, allows the public to gain inmates' info through the Incarcerated Inmate Search. The search requires the SCDC ID, SID, first name, and last name of inmate.
Also on the SCDC's website is the Fugitives section, where information and mug shots of fugitives are posted. Information on how to report whereabouts of the fugitives is detailed on the website.
The South Carolina Department of Probation, Parole and Pardon Services provides information on the Most Wanted Offenders. Mug shots of the offenders are posted on the website. The Department provides instructions on how to report the location of the fugitives.
The Cherokee County Sheriff's Office website has an updated database of current inmates at the Cherokee County Detention Center. The names of inmates are listed, but you can also use the Search tool.
Aside from the online inmate search, there is also a Most Wanted section on the website, where information and mug shots of offenders at large are posted.
Beaufort County also has an online search tool for inmates. The search is done by name, booking date, or prisoner ID.
Alvin S. Glenn Detention Center provides information on offenders. The online search tool supports both public access and secure access. When using public access, you have to enter the first name and last name of the offender. Secure access, on the other hand, requires a username and a password.
If you need to retrieve South Carolina background checks and criminal records, take the following measures:
Step 1.
Visit the SLED website to download the South Carolina Background Check Request Form.
Step 2.
Fill out the request form and prepare a certified check or money order for $25.
Step 3.
Mail the completed form, the fee and enclose a self-addressed stamped envelope to SLED Records Department.
If you would like more information, contact the SLED Records Department below:
South Carolina Law Enforcement Division
SLED Records Department
PO Box 21398
Columbia, SC 29221
(803) 737-9000
If you are looking for information about inmates in the South Carolina arrest system, then you will want to access South Carolina arrest records. These records are available from the South Carolina Department of Corrections. To make accessing South Carolina arrest records easier, the Department of Corrections allows you to do your own search online.
In order to search for records online, you will need to follow these steps:
Step 1.
Visit the South Carolina Department of Corrections' website and go to the Incarcerated Inmate search page to conduct a South Carolina Inmate Search.
Step 2.
Complete the fields with the inmate's information. Use the SCDC ID or SID number if you know them for most accurate results. Click submit.
Step 3.
A scrollable menu will appear to the right. Click on the SCDC ID number of the inmate you want to search.
For more assistance accessing South Carolina arrest records, you can contact the Department of Corrections at:
South Carolina Department of Corrections
P.O. Box 21787
4444 Broad River Road
Columbia, SC 29210
(803) 896-8531
Accessing South Carolina Criminal Records
The South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED) operates the state database for criminal records. SLED accepts request forms via mail for South Carolina background checks or provides SLED Catch Online, an online database that returns name-based search results directly to your computer for you to print at home. The fee is $25 for either service, payable by certified check or money order for mailed requests and credit card online.
Who Can Obtain South Carolina Criminal Records?
Any individual may access criminal records for themselves and others, either by mailing a request or using the online database. However, these are limited criminal records, and only full criminal records are disclosed to law enforcement and authorized agencies.
Correcting Mistakes on a Criminal Record
While SLED doesn't specify how to challenge criminal records, you can phone SLED, and they will direct you how to proceed with your claim.