Find Berkshire County Criminal Records
Berkshire County criminal records are held by the courts in Pittsfield and are part of the statewide Massachusetts court records system. Cases heard in Berkshire County, from arraignments at the Pittsfield District Court to felony trials at the Superior Court, all generate public case records that you can search online or request in person. The Massachusetts CORI system, run by DCJIS, provides official criminal history reports covering Berkshire County and all other Massachusetts courts.
Berkshire County Overview
Berkshire County Courts
Berkshire County is served by a Superior Court and three district courts. The Berkshire County Superior Court in Pittsfield handles serious felony cases, jury trials, and appeals from the lower courts. It is the main venue for major criminal matters in the county. Cases that start as arraignments in a district court can move up to Superior Court if the charges are serious enough or if a defendant elects a jury trial.
The three district courts cover different parts of Berkshire County. The Pittsfield District Court handles cases in and around the county seat. The North Adams District Court serves the northern part of the county. The Great Barrington District Court serves southern Berkshire County. Each court keeps its own records, but all three are connected to the statewide case management system.
| Berkshire County Superior Court | Pittsfield, MA |
|---|---|
| Phone | (413) 442-6941 |
| Pittsfield District Court | Pittsfield, MA |
| North Adams District Court | North Adams, MA |
| Great Barrington District Court | Great Barrington, MA |
The Berkshire County Superior Court in Pittsfield is the primary court for felony criminal cases in western Massachusetts. The clerk's office maintains all court records and case files from trials and proceedings held there.
Search Berkshire County Criminal Records Online
The Massachusetts Trial Court provides free online case access through masscourts.org. You can search by a person's name or a case number. Results include all cases filed in Berkshire County courts, whether at the Superior Court in Pittsfield, the Pittsfield District Court, the North Adams District Court, or the Great Barrington District Court. The system shows charge details, court dates, and case outcomes.
Public access terminals are also available inside the Berkshire County Superior Court in Pittsfield. If you prefer to search in person rather than online, you can use those terminals during regular court hours. Staff at the clerk's office can help you locate a specific case if you have a name or approximate date to work from.
The Massachusetts court docket and calendar search on mass.gov is another entry point into the same system. It works best when you have a docket number or a specific case reference. For name-based searches, masscourts.org is usually easier to use.
Note: The public online search provides case information for general reference. An official CORI report from DCJIS is required for any formal background check use. The $25 fee applies for organizational requests through the iCORI system.
The Massachusetts Trial Court case search portal covers all Berkshire County court cases along with cases from every other Massachusetts court, making it a useful starting point for any records search.
CORI Records in Berkshire County
Every criminal case processed through a Berkshire County court becomes part of the statewide CORI database. CORI stands for Criminal Offender Record Information. It is defined under MGL c. 6 § 167 and covers arrests, charges, arraignments, convictions, and acquittals from all Massachusetts courts, including those in Berkshire County.
A CORI report pulls the full Massachusetts criminal history for a person. It is not limited to one county. Someone who had a case in Pittsfield and a prior case in Boston would have records from both locations in the same CORI report. The report is tied to the individual, not to a specific county or court. This makes CORI a more complete picture of a person's criminal history than a single court's records alone.
What appears in a CORI report depends on the type of requester. The public access level shows convictions for a limited period. Organizations with a qualified purpose under the law can see more. The subject of the record always has the right to see their own full CORI at no charge. Requests go through the DCJIS iCORI portal.
How to Request a CORI Report
The iCORI system handles all official CORI requests online. You access it through the CORI page on mass.gov. Individuals requesting their own records create an account and verify their identity through the portal. The process takes a few minutes to set up. Most results come back within a few business days, though the timeline can vary. DCJIS is located at 200 Arlington Street, Suite 2200, Chelsea, MA 02150, and can be reached at (617) 660-4640 for questions.
Organizations that want to request CORI on employees, volunteers, or other individuals must register with DCJIS and follow the rules in the CORI law. Registered organizations pay $25 per subject. If cost is a barrier, a fee waiver is available through an Affidavit of Indigency, which you can get at any Massachusetts court including the Berkshire County courts in Pittsfield, North Adams, or Great Barrington.
For people who want a hard copy of court records rather than an official CORI report, the clerk's office at the relevant court can provide certified copies for a per-page fee. This is a different product than CORI. Court copies show what's in the case file, while CORI shows the full statewide criminal history compiled by DCJIS.
Sealing and Expungement of Berkshire County Records
People with Berkshire County criminal records may be able to seal or expunge those records under Massachusetts law. Sealing limits who can see the record. Expungement removes it entirely. The two processes have different eligibility rules and waiting periods.
Sealing under MGL c. 276 § 100A allows petitions after five years for misdemeanor convictions and ten years for felony convictions. The clock starts from the end of the sentence, including any probation. Cases that ended in dismissal or a not-guilty finding can be sealed right away under § 100C, with no waiting period. Petitions to seal Berkshire County cases go to the court where the case was heard, whether that's the Superior Court in Pittsfield or one of the three district courts.
Expungement under MGL c. 276 §§ 100E through 100U is more limited. It applies mainly to cases involving people under 21 at the time of the offense and certain first-time offenses. Waiting periods apply here too, and not every case qualifies. The clerk's office at the Berkshire County Superior Court or the Pittsfield District Court can tell you whether a case might be eligible. Legal aid organizations in western Massachusetts can also help you understand your options at no cost.
Law Enforcement in Berkshire County
Berkshire County has several local police departments as well as coverage from the Massachusetts State Police. The Pittsfield Police Department is the main law enforcement agency in the county seat. North Adams and Great Barrington also have their own departments. All local agencies report arrests to the statewide CORI system when charges are filed through the courts.
Arrest records held by individual police departments are separate from court records. To get an arrest report, you contact the arresting department directly. Once charges are filed with the court, the case moves into the court records system and becomes searchable through masscourts.org. Not all arrests lead to court charges, and not all arrests create CORI records on their own.
For victim notification, the VINE system at vinelink.com covers Berkshire County. It lets victims and concerned parties register for automatic alerts when an offender's custody status changes. This service is free and available around the clock.
Sex Offender Registry in Berkshire County
The Massachusetts Sex Offender Registry Board maintains the public registry for Level 2 and Level 3 offenders. Berkshire County has registered sex offenders in Pittsfield, North Adams, Great Barrington, and other communities throughout the county. You can search by address, zip code, or town at mass.gov/orgs/sex-offender-registry-board. Level 1 offenders are not in the public registry. They may appear in CORI reports depending on the case details and the requester's access level.
Cities in Berkshire County
Berkshire County's main communities are Pittsfield (the county seat), North Adams, and Great Barrington. None of these cities meet the population threshold for a dedicated city records page on this site. For criminal records related to cases filed in any of these cities, start with the court that covers their area. Pittsfield cases go through the Pittsfield District Court and the Berkshire County Superior Court. North Adams cases go through the North Adams District Court. Great Barrington cases go through the Great Barrington District Court. All are searchable online through masscourts.org.
Nearby Counties
Berkshire County sits at the western edge of Massachusetts and borders Hampshire and Franklin counties to the east. Criminal cases involving people from multiple counties may have records in more than one court system. Use the links below to search records in neighboring counties.