Dukes County Criminal Records

Dukes County criminal records are maintained by the courts in Edgartown on Martha's Vineyard, and they are part of the Massachusetts statewide court records system managed by DCJIS and the Trial Court. All criminal cases filed in Dukes County, from misdemeanor charges at the Edgartown District Court to felony proceedings at the Dukes County Superior Court, generate public case records accessible through the state's online tools and the iCORI system. Accessing those records in person does require planning for island travel, but online access is available to everyone from anywhere.

Dukes County Courts

Dukes County has two courts: the Dukes County Superior Court and the Edgartown District Court. Both are located in Edgartown on Martha's Vineyard. The Dukes County Superior Court handles the most serious felony cases and jury trials for the county. It is one of the smaller superior courts in the state given the county's population, but it follows the same procedures and rules as every other Massachusetts superior court.

The Edgartown District Court handles arraignments, misdemeanor cases, bail hearings, and lower-level felony matters. It serves all of Dukes County, which includes the six towns on Martha's Vineyard: Edgartown, Oak Bluffs, Tisbury (also called Vineyard Haven), West Tisbury, Chilmark, and Aquinnah. Every case processed by either court feeds into the statewide court records system.

The Dukes County Superior Court in Edgartown handles serious criminal matters for Martha's Vineyard. The court follows Massachusetts Trial Court procedures and maintains records open to the public through the statewide case access system.

Search Dukes County Criminal Records Online

You can search Dukes County court records for free through masscourts.org. This is the Massachusetts Trial Court's public case access portal. Search by name or case number to find cases from the Dukes County Superior Court and the Edgartown District Court. The results show charges, hearing dates, case outcomes, and docket entries. Because the system covers all Massachusetts courts, you can search Dukes County records alongside records from other counties in a single search.

Online search is especially practical for Dukes County given the travel involved in reaching the island courts. Most routine lookups can be handled entirely through the online portal without a trip to Edgartown. If you need a certified copy of a case record, you'd need to contact the clerk's office by phone or mail, or make the trip in person.

The Massachusetts court docket search on mass.gov is another option if you already have a case number or docket reference. For general name searches, masscourts.org gives you more flexibility and covers more case types in one place.

CORI Records in Dukes County

Every criminal case filed in a Dukes County court becomes part of the statewide CORI database maintained by DCJIS. CORI, which stands for Criminal Offender Record Information, is defined under MGL c. 6 § 167. It covers arrests, charges, arraignments, convictions, and acquittals from all Massachusetts courts. A person arrested in Edgartown or Oak Bluffs and charged in the Edgartown District Court would have that case appear in their Massachusetts CORI record alongside any other cases from other counties.

CORI is a statewide record, not a county-specific one. The full Massachusetts criminal history for a person is compiled in one report regardless of which county or counties the cases came from. This makes CORI different from a search of just the Dukes County court records. Court records show what was filed in a specific court, while CORI shows the complete Massachusetts criminal history for an individual.

What appears in a given CORI report depends on the type of requester and the nature of the cases. The general public sees a limited set of information. Organizations with a qualifying purpose can see more, subject to the rules in MGL c. 6 § 167. The subject of the record always has full access to their own CORI at no cost through the iCORI portal at mass.gov.

DCJIS manages the CORI system for all Massachusetts counties, including Dukes County on Martha's Vineyard. The DCJIS website is the starting point for iCORI requests and information about CORI law and access policies.

Requesting CORI Through iCORI

The iCORI portal, available at mass.gov, is how you request an official CORI report. Individuals requesting their own record sign up for an account and complete identity verification. The process is fully online and does not require travel to any court or DCJIS office. Results typically arrive within a few business days. Getting your own CORI is free.

Organizations that want to request CORI on individuals must register with DCJIS, agree to the rules on CORI use, and pay $25 per subject per request. Registration is also handled online through iCORI. Once approved, an organization can run requests as needed within their permitted scope. DCJIS is at 200 Arlington Street, Suite 2200, Chelsea, MA 02150, and by phone at (617) 660-4640 for any questions about registration or requests.

For people who cannot afford the fee, an Affidavit of Indigency can be submitted to request a waiver. That form is available from any Massachusetts court, including the Edgartown District Court. Given Dukes County's location, it may be easier to download the form or request it by mail rather than making the trip to the island just for the paperwork.

Sealing and Expungement for Dukes County Records

Massachusetts law gives people with criminal records the option to seal or expunge those records in certain circumstances. These options apply equally to Dukes County records from the Edgartown District Court and the Dukes County Superior Court.

Sealing under MGL c. 276 § 100A is available after five years for misdemeanor convictions and after ten years for felony convictions. The waiting period starts from the end of the sentence, including probation. Cases that ended in dismissal or an acquittal can be sealed right away under § 100C with no waiting period at all. Sealed records don't appear in public searches, but they remain accessible to law enforcement in some situations.

Expungement under MGL c. 276 §§ 100E through 100U removes the record entirely from the system. The eligibility rules are stricter than for sealing. Expungement typically covers cases involving people under 21 at the time of the offense and certain qualifying first-time offenses. The petition is filed at the court where the original case was heard, which for Dukes County residents means the Edgartown District Court or the Dukes County Superior Court. Legal aid organizations that serve Cape Cod and the islands can help with the process if you're not sure whether your record qualifies.

Law Enforcement on Martha's Vineyard

Law enforcement on Martha's Vineyard is handled by town police departments and the Dukes County Sheriff's Office. Each town on the island, including Edgartown, Oak Bluffs, Tisbury, West Tisbury, Chilmark, and Aquinnah, has its own police department. The Edgartown Police Department is the main local agency in the county seat. The Massachusetts State Police also have a presence on the island.

Arrest records are held by the arresting department. When an arrest leads to charges filed with the Edgartown District Court, the case enters the statewide court records system. But the initial arrest report and booking records stay with the local department. To get a copy of an arrest report, contact the relevant town's police department directly.

For victim notification, the VINE system at vinelink.com covers Dukes County cases and allows victims to register for automatic alerts when an offender's custody status changes. The service is free and available online or by phone.

Sex Offender Registry in Dukes County

The Massachusetts Sex Offender Registry Board lists Level 2 and Level 3 registered sex offenders throughout the state, including Dukes County. You can search by town or zip code to find offenders registered in Edgartown, Oak Bluffs, Vineyard Haven, and other Martha's Vineyard communities at mass.gov/orgs/sex-offender-registry-board. Level 1 offenders are not included in the public registry. The SORB registry is a separate system from CORI and is updated regularly by the board.

Communities in Dukes County

Dukes County consists of six towns on Martha's Vineyard: Edgartown, Oak Bluffs, Tisbury (Vineyard Haven), West Tisbury, Chilmark, and Aquinnah. None of these communities meet the population threshold for a dedicated city records page on this site. For criminal records related to cases from any of these towns, the Edgartown District Court handles arraignments and lower-level matters, and the Dukes County Superior Court handles serious felony cases. Both courts are in Edgartown and are reachable by phone or through the online court records system at masscourts.org.

Nearby Counties

Dukes County is an island county with no land borders. The nearest mainland counties are Barnstable to the north and Nantucket County to the east, both accessible by ferry. Cases involving individuals from multiple counties may have records in more than one court. Use the links below to search records in neighboring counties.