Access Henry County Criminal Court Records

Henry County criminal court records are filed with the Circuit Court Clerk in Cambridge and cover all criminal proceedings in the 14th Judicial Circuit. This guide walks through how to search for and obtain Henry County criminal court records using online tools, mail requests, or a visit to the courthouse.

Henry County Circuit Court Clerk

Terilyn Kuster Motley is the Circuit Court Clerk for Henry County. The office is located at 307 West Center Street, Cambridge, IL 61238. Call the clerk at 309-937-3752 or fax at 309/937-3990. The office website is at henrycty.com/circuit-clerk.

The clerk's office is the official keeper of criminal court records for all cases filed in Henry County. This includes misdemeanor cases, felony matters, traffic-related criminal charges, and other criminal proceedings in the circuit. The clerk indexes each case, tracks every filing, and stores orders and dispositions. When a criminal matter is resolved, the outcome becomes part of the permanent court record.

You can request records in person at the courthouse. Bring as much information as you can, like the defendant's name and an approximate filing year or case number. Staff will search the index and provide copies for a fee. Copy fees are set by state law. Under 705 ILCS 105, Illinois circuit court clerks operate under a uniform set of rules that cover fees and required services.

Online Case Search Options

Henry County participates in Judici.com, the third-party online case search platform used by 82 of Illinois's 102 counties. Judici lets you search by defendant name or case number at no charge. Results show the charges, current case status, and dispositions. The service does not require an account.

The screenshot below shows the Judici database interface, which covers Henry County and many other Illinois counties.

Search Henry County criminal records on Judici.com

Judici is a good starting point for a quick name or case number search. It is a private platform, not an official state site, and may not have complete data for older cases. For anything you need to rely on, confirm the details with the clerk's office.

The state's official tool is re:SearchIL at researchil.tylerhost.net. It became free to the public on May 1, 2025. re:SearchIL covers criminal and civil cases from courts across Illinois, including Henry County. Because it links directly to the official case management system, it often reflects recent filings faster than Judici does.

What Public Records Are Available in Henry County

Most adult criminal records in Henry County are open to the public. The public file includes criminal complaints, indictments, warrant returns, motions filed by either party, court orders, plea documents, and sentencing records. Case dockets that list every filing in a case are also public. You don't need to prove any particular reason to access these records.

Several categories of records are not public. Juvenile criminal cases are sealed by law. Records that have been expunged or sealed by a court order are removed from the public index. Social Security numbers, financial account details, and protected victim information are redacted before copies are given out. When a record has been expunged, the clerk can acknowledge the case once existed, but the actual file is no longer accessible to the public.

One thing worth knowing about Illinois courts: they are exempt from the Illinois Freedom of Information Act. The judiciary is specifically excluded from FOIA under 5 ILCS 140. Court record requests go directly to the clerk's office under court rules, not through a FOIA process.

Statewide Background Checks: ISP Bureau of Identification

If you need a criminal history search that goes beyond Henry County, the Illinois State Police Bureau of Identification maintains records covering arrests and dispositions statewide. You can reach the BOI at 815/740-5160 or visit their page at isp.illinois.gov/BureauOfIdentification.

The BOI handles fingerprint-based background checks used by employers and licensing agencies. Illinois law under 20 ILCS 2635, the Criminal Identification Act, governs how the state collects and shares criminal history records. Individuals have the right to view their own criminal history free of charge through the Access and Review process. The CHIRP portal at chirp.isp.illinois.gov handles individual self-checks online.

BOI records cover the whole state. Circuit court records cover a specific county. Both are useful, and they're not identical. A conviction in one county shows up in the statewide record, but the case file details are at the county clerk's office where the case was filed.

Illinois Courts System

Henry County courts are part of the Illinois circuit court system administered by the Illinois Courts administrative office. The courts site covers how the circuit courts work, where courts are located, and what the general rules are for criminal matters. For contact information for any circuit clerk in Illinois, the clerk directory is at illinoiscourts.gov.

For federal criminal matters involving Henry County defendants, those cases go through the U.S. District Court for the Central District of Illinois. Federal case records are searchable through PACER at pacer.uscourts.gov. Federal records are a separate system from the state circuit court records and require a PACER account to access beyond basic case information.

Getting Help and Filing Documents

Illinois Legal Aid Online at illinoislegalaid.org offers free guides on expungement, criminal court procedures, and how to read court documents. If you're dealing with a criminal record issue and don't have a lawyer, this site is a good first resource. Illinois Court Help at ilcourthelp.gov also provides plain-language help for self-represented people.

Attorneys filing in Henry County criminal cases use the eFileIL system at efile.illinoiscourts.gov for mandatory electronic filings. Self-represented parties should contact the clerk's office before trying to e-file, as some criminal case types may still require paper submissions.

Nearby Counties

Criminal court records for counties near Henry are held by their own circuit clerks in the surrounding area.