Suffolk County Criminal Records

Suffolk County criminal records cover the cities of Boston, Chelsea, Revere, and Winthrop, with cases handled by the Superior Court at Pemberton Square, eight divisions of the Boston Municipal Court, and the Chelsea District Court, all operating under the Massachusetts court system. Suffolk County is the most densely populated in the state, and its courts process a high volume of criminal matters each year, making it important to know which specific court and division handled the case you are looking for before you reach out.

Suffolk County Superior Court Criminal Records

The Suffolk County Superior Court sits at 3 Pemberton Square in downtown Boston and handles the most serious criminal matters filed in the county. This includes all felony cases and first-degree murder. The court has separate civil and criminal clerk's offices on different floors of the building.

The criminal clerk's office is on the 14th floor. The civil clerk's office is on the 12th floor. Both are open Monday through Friday from 8:30 AM to 4:30 PM. Certified copies from the Superior Court cost $1.00 per page, and processing typically takes seven to ten business days after the request is received.

For criminal case docket searches at the Superior Court level, the free public tool at masscourts.org is a good starting point. Select "The Superior Court" and then "Suffolk County Criminal" from the dropdown menus. Note that name searches are not available for criminal cases at the Superior Court through masscourts.org. You can search by case number or citation number. For civil matters, name searches are available.

The court system overview below provides context on how Suffolk County's courts fit within the broader Massachusetts system.

The Massachusetts court system page at mass.gov explains how Superior Court, the Boston Municipal Court, and district courts are organized, which helps when locating the right office for Suffolk County criminal records.

Boston Municipal Court Criminal Records

The Boston Municipal Court is unique to Suffolk County. It functions like a district court but covers only the city of Boston, operating through eight separate divisions across different neighborhoods. Each division has its own clerk's office and maintains its own dockets. Several divisions also run specialty courts for drug offenses, mental health cases, and veteran matters.

Here are the eight Boston Municipal Court divisions with their addresses and phone numbers:

If you are not sure which BMC division handled a case, the masscourts.org case search can help narrow it down. Each division has its own records, so calling the wrong one will not get you far. Contacting the Central Division first is reasonable if you have no other information, as they can often direct you to the right location.

Chelsea District Court Criminal Records

The Chelsea District Court serves Chelsea and Revere, covering the communities in Suffolk County outside of Boston proper. It handles misdemeanors, lower-level felonies, and civil matters for those two cities. The court also runs specialty programs including a Drug Court, Mental Health Court, and Traffic Court.

The masscourts.org tool covers Chelsea District Court the same way it covers any other Massachusetts court. You can search by case number or name and see basic docket information at no cost.

The Massachusetts Trial Court case search tool at mass.gov covers all Suffolk County courts including the Superior Court, all BMC divisions, and Chelsea District Court, providing free access to basic case information for Suffolk County criminal records.

CORI and Suffolk County Criminal Records

CORI is the official criminal history report for Massachusetts. It pulls information from every arraignment, charge, and disposition filed in any state court, including all Suffolk County criminal courts. The state's Department of Criminal Justice Information Services maintains the iCORI system and processes all requests.

The standard fee is $25 per subject. People requesting their own record get one free search per year. Under MGL Chapter 6, Sections 167 through 178, access to other people's CORI is regulated. Individuals always have the right to pull their own record through the iCORI system.

A CORI report shows arraignments, charges, pleas, verdicts, sentences, and probation. It does not cover federal cases or arrests that never led to arraignment. If a record has been sealed under MGL c. 276 Section 100A or Section 100C, it won't show in a standard CORI result. Expungement under Sections 100E through 100U removes eligible records entirely. The Greater Boston Legal Services CORI rights guide is a useful plain-language reference for understanding what is in a CORI report and what rights people have around it.

Massachusetts also has a "Ban the Box" law under MGL c. 151B Section 4(9-1/2), which affects when criminal history can be asked about in certain contexts. This applies statewide and covers Suffolk County as it does every other county.

Suffolk County Sheriff Criminal Records

The Suffolk County Sheriff's Department runs the South Bay House of Correction in Boston. The department handles booking, incarceration records, and related criminal records for people held in its custody.

For inmate status, the 24-hour line at x2017 is the quickest option. You can also use the VINE notification system at vinelink.com, which tracks inmate status and can alert you when someone's custody status changes. Sheriff records like arrest logs, booking information, and mugshots are separate from court records and may require a formal public records request.

Boston Police and Suffolk DA Records

The Boston Police Department handles incident reports, arrest records, and investigation files for the city of Boston. Requests go through the BPD's public records portal on the department's website. The first four hours of search time are free. After that, the rate can run up to $25 per hour. Standard requests get a response within ten business days.

The Suffolk District Attorney's Office handles prosecutions for all Suffolk County criminal cases. Their office holds some records related to active and closed cases. Public records requests to the DA's office go to the contact below.

Sex Offender Registry in Suffolk County

Sex offender registration records for Suffolk County are maintained by the Massachusetts Sex Offender Registry Board. Level 2 and Level 3 registrants are searchable by the public at the SORB website. You can search by name or address and see photos, offense history, and registration tier. Level 1 registrants do not appear in the public search results.

Cities in Suffolk County

Two cities in Suffolk County have dedicated criminal records pages with detailed courthouse and local records access information.

Nearby Counties

Suffolk County borders Middlesex to the north and west, Norfolk to the south, and Essex to the northeast. Each has its own courts and criminal records offices.