Find Clinton County Criminal Court Records
Clinton County criminal court records are filed and maintained by the Circuit Court Clerk in Carlyle, covering all criminal cases processed through the 4th Judicial Circuit. This guide covers how to search for Clinton County criminal court records using free online tools, mail requests, or visits to the Carlyle courthouse.
Clinton County Criminal Court Records Quick Facts
Clinton County Circuit Court Clerk Office
Rod Kloeckner is the Circuit Court Clerk for Clinton County. The office is at 850 Fairfax Street, Carlyle, IL 62231. Call the clerk at 618/594-6615 or fax at 618/594-0197. The clerk's website is at clintonco.illinois.gov/circuit-clerk.
The clerk's office is the official custodian of criminal court records for all cases filed in Clinton County circuit court. The county is part of the 4th Judicial Circuit. Criminal cases here include misdemeanor offenses, felony matters, and criminal traffic charges. The clerk indexes every case, records all filings, and maintains the complete case file. After a case is resolved, the record stays in the permanent index unless a court orders it sealed or expunged later.
To get records in person, visit the courthouse during regular business hours. Have the defendant's name and the approximate year of filing ready. A case number is helpful if you have one. Staff will search the index and make copies. Copy fees are set by state law. Under 705 ILCS 105, circuit court clerks statewide follow the same framework for fees and services. Certified copies are slightly more expensive than plain copies but carry an official court stamp and are needed for legal use.
Mail requests are also handled by the clerk's office. Write a letter with the case information you have, include a check or money order for estimated copy fees, and mail to 850 Fairfax Street, Carlyle, IL 62231. The clerk will search and mail back what they find, or call you if more information is needed.
Searching Clinton County Criminal Records Online
Clinton County uses Judici.com for online case access. Judici is a third-party service that covers 82 of Illinois's 102 counties. You can search criminal records by defendant name or case number at no cost. Results show charges, hearing dates, case status, and dispositions. No account is required to use the basic search.
The screenshot below shows the Judici portal, which covers Clinton County cases along with many other Illinois counties.
Search Clinton County criminal cases on Judici.com
Judici is useful for a quick first search. It is not an official government system, and older cases filed before electronic indexing may not appear. Confirm any result you plan to rely on with the clerk's office directly.
The state also runs re:SearchIL at researchil.tylerhost.net, a free public portal that has been available since May 1, 2025. re:SearchIL covers both criminal and civil cases from courts across Illinois. It connects directly to the official court case management system, so it tends to be more current than Judici for recent filings. No registration is needed for basic name or case number searches.
Public and Confidential Criminal Records
Most adult criminal court records in Clinton County are public. The public record includes criminal complaints and indictments, all motions and orders, plea agreements, sentencing documents, and final dispositions. Case dockets showing the complete history of filings in a case are also available. You don't need to provide a reason or show identification to access these records.
Some records are not open to the public. Juvenile cases are sealed by law. Records that a court has expunged or sealed by order are removed from the public index. Social Security numbers, financial account identifiers, and protected victim information are redacted from copies before they are handed out. Some documents within a public case file may be restricted by court order even when the case itself is visible in the index.
Illinois courts operate outside the state's Freedom of Information Act. Under 5 ILCS 140, the judiciary is exempt from FOIA. That means sending a FOIA request to the circuit clerk will not result in records being provided under that law. Court records are accessed directly through the clerk's office under court rules and the statutes governing the judiciary. This applies to Clinton County just as it does to every other Illinois county.
Illinois State Police and Statewide Criminal History
For a criminal history that spans more than just Clinton County, the Illinois State Police Bureau of Identification maintains statewide arrest and disposition records. The BOI can be reached at 815/740-5160 or at isp.illinois.gov/BureauOfIdentification.
Employers and licensing agencies use the BOI for fingerprint-based background checks. Individuals can access their own criminal history at no cost through the Access and Review process. The CHIRP self-check portal is at chirp.isp.illinois.gov. The rules for how Illinois criminal history records are collected, stored, and shared are set by 20 ILCS 2635, the Criminal Identification Act.
ISP records and circuit court case files serve different purposes. The BOI gives you a statewide history summary. The court file in Carlyle gives you the detailed record of a specific case filed in Clinton County.
Illinois Court System and Criminal Procedure
Clinton County courts are part of the broader Illinois circuit court system. The Illinois Courts website provides information about how criminal cases move through the courts, what judges are assigned to each circuit, and how court rules apply. The clerk directory at illinoiscourts.gov lists contact details for every county in Illinois.
The primary statute governing criminal procedure in Illinois is 725 ILCS 5, the Code of Criminal Procedure. This law covers how criminal cases are charged, processed, tried, and sentenced in the circuit courts. Reading the relevant sections can help you understand what each document in a case file is for and what steps the court is required to take at each stage.
The screenshot below shows the Illinois Legal Aid Online website, which provides free guides for people dealing with criminal court records in Illinois, including Clinton County.
Illinois Legal Aid Online is one of the best free resources in the state for understanding how to work with criminal records, apply for expungement, or figure out your rights in a criminal case. Illinois Court Help at ilcourthelp.gov is also worth bookmarking if you're dealing with a criminal matter without a lawyer.
E-Filing in Clinton County
Attorneys filing in Clinton County criminal cases use the eFileIL system at efile.illinoiscourts.gov for mandatory electronic filing. If you are representing yourself in a criminal matter and need to file documents, call the clerk's office at 618/594-6615 before submitting anything online. Some criminal case types still require paper filings at the courthouse in Carlyle. Do not assume e-filing applies to your situation without confirming with the clerk first.
Nearby Counties
Counties surrounding Clinton each maintain their own criminal court records through their circuit clerks.