New Jersey Public Records, Arrest Records and Jail Roster

New Jersey Public Records

The state of New Jersey does have laws that give its citizens the freedom to access the state’s public records. Only the citizens of New Jersey can access these records.

New Jersey’s Open Public Records Act (OPRA) dictates that all New Jersey citizens may access and copy New Jersey’s public records. However, the Act gives convicts neither the ability to request any information about personal information of a victim nor the right to access any information regarding a family member of a victim.

Public records are defined as those records available at, or produced by government bodies. The government bodies covered in this Act include any division, office commission, board, office or bureau of the state, or all principal departments of the executive branch of New Jersey government. Also included is any independent state agency, instrumentality or authority. However, the records of New Jersey courts are not covered in the Act.

New Jersey Criminal Records

The State Bureau of Identification (SBI) has the responsibility to maintain and distribute New Jersey Criminal Records. The New Jersey State Police manages SBI. If you want to request your own personal criminal record, your fingerprint must be taken at a Live Scan location which the state has approved. You will have to deliver a fee and a form that shows you have been fingerprinted.

New Jersey Criminal Records are restricted and are not available to the general public. Only authorized state and government agencies, and authorized employers and law enforcement units can request criminal records for third parties. Operating under the New Jersey State Police, the New Jersey State Bureau of Identification oversees and maintains state issued background checks.

The New Jersey Department of Corrections has the responsibility to maintain incarceration and inmate records in New Jersey. The Department of Corrections Offender Search system allows for an inmate to be searched online.

Arrest records, jail and inmate records are considered public records in New Jersey. The Offender Search database supplies inmate information regarding an inmate’s name, gender, date of birth, type of offense and race. The database will also indicate the inmate’s maximum release date, the facility that is currently holding them, mandatory sentence terms, and parole eligibility. More information on New Jersey’s inmate records and jail terms is available at New Jersey’s Victim Notification Service profile.

New Jersey Court Records

The New Jersey Court records, calendars, attorney regulations, schedules, trial court decisions and opinions are maintained by the New Jersey Administrative Office. To be able to access New Jersey court records, a request must be filed at the Office of the Superior Court. Family, civil, municipal and criminal court records are all made available to the public.

You can check out the New Jersey Administrative Office of Courts official website for more information regarding requesting or obtaining court records.

New Jersey Vital Records

The State of New Jersey Department of Health is responsible for overseeing New Jersey Vital Records. These are documents of birth, death, marriage and marriage as well as civil union and domestic partnership records. Civil union and domestic partnership records date back to 2007 and 2004 respectively. You may request New Jersey Vital records through a local vital records office within the municipality where the event occurred.

• Birth records: Birth records are accessible from 1915 to present. You may request for birth records through a local vital records office within the municipality where the event occurred.
• Death records: Death records are accessible from 1915 to present. Stillborn records are also available from 1969. You may request for death records through a local vital records office within the municipality where the event occurred.
• Marriage records: Marriage records are accessible from 1915 to present.
• Divorce records: Divorce records are available starting in1915 to present.

Equipped with the right information regarding New Jersey public records and the right places to find them, you should be able to obtain the records you need with relative ease provided you follow the right procedure.

New Jersey State Court System

Understanding how the system of New Jersey state court works is very important as it helps you find court records easily.

New Jersey Courts Overview

To make your work easier, start searching for court records in New Jersey by simply going to courts by county.

The trial court system of New Jersey State consists of Tax Court, Municipal Courts, Surrogate’s Courts, and Superior Courts.

Superior Courts

The New Jersey Superior Courts have general jurisdiction to handle all types of cases, but usually handle only the criminal and civil cases beyond the jurisdiction limit of other New Jersey Courts.

A Superior Court may have divisions or parts that are based on case types, including probate, family, civil, chancery, and criminal.

When taxation expertise is required, these courts may transfer some cases to the Tax Court. Superior Courts may also grant a Municipal Court jurisdiction to hear motor vehicle cases that result in bodily injury or death.

Surrogate’s Courts

These courts have jurisdiction to handle uncontested probate matters, including appointing guardians of minors, appointing administrators and representatives of estates, and admitting wills to probate. All adoption papers and probate matters have to be filed at the Surrogate’s Office.

Surrogates are judicial officers as well as elected county officials. Surrogates serve as Deputy Clerks of New Jersey Superior Court, Family Parts, Probate Parts, and Chancery Division. They also serve as the judges of the Surrogate’s Court.

Municipal Courts

The New Jersey Municipal Courts have jurisdiction to handle some types of criminal cases. Generally, the cases that Municipal Courts hear include boating and game laws, violations of fish, felony preliminary hearings, most “disorderly person” offenses, majority of violations of traffic and motor vehicle laws, and violations of municipal or county ordinances. These courts can also handle crimes with potential punishment of less than a year in prison and “crimes of the fourth degree”.

Municipal Courts do not have the authority to hear motor vehicle cases that involve serious bodily injury or death, unless a Superior Court grants jurisdiction over a specific case. Most municipalities of New Jersey have consolidated all their courts into one joint court.

Tax Court

The New Jersey Tax Court is part of the New Jersey trial court system with exclusive jurisdiction to review regulations or actions about tax matters involving a municipal official, county official, a county board of taxation, a State official, or a State agency. It has a Small Claims division to handle certain tax cases.

The New Jersey Tax Court also hear cases that have been transferred to it by the Supreme Courts whenever taxation expertise is suitable for the case. It handles cases for the whole county. The Tax Court Management Office is located in Trenton and handles information and all contacts for the Tax Court despite the fact that court sessions can also occur in other different cities.

New Jersey Crime Statistics

Violent & Property Crime Rates in New Jersey

Arrests Offense in New Jersey

The latest data is from 2021. References: https://cde.ucr.cjis.gov/LATEST/webapp/#/pages/home

The Official Website of New Jersey County

Newark City of Newark
Jersey City City of Jersey City
Paterson City of Paterson, New Jersey The Official Website of the City of Paterson, New Jersey
Elizabeth City Of Elizabeth
Edison Welcome to Township of Edison
Woodbridge Woodbridge Township, NJ | Official Website
Lakewood Township of Lakewood
Toms River Toms River
Hamilton Welcome to Hamilton Township, Mercer County, New Jersey
Trenton City of Trenton, NJ official web site.
Clifton Clifton, NJ | Official Website
Camden City of Camden
Cherry Hill Cherry Hill Township, NJ | Official Website Cherry Hill Township, New Jersey – Helpful Information and Services
Passaic City of Passaic, New Jersey Official Website of the City of Passaic, New Jersey
Middletown Middletown, NJ | Official Website
Bergen County Bergen County, NJ – Official Website
Middlesex County Middlesex County
Essex County The County of Essex, New Jersey | Putting Essex County First
Hudson County Hudson County NJ
Monmouth County Monmouth County
Ocean County Ocean County Government
Union County County of Union, New Jersey – We’re connected to you!
Camden County The Official Website of Camden County, NJ | CamdenCounty.com Thank you for visiting the official site of Camden County, NJ. Get the information you need on your government, your community, and all upcoming events
Passaic County Welcome to Passaic County, New Jersey
Morris County Official Website of Morris County, NJ
Burlington County Burlington County, NJ – Official Website
Mercer County Mercer County, NJ
Somerset County Somerset County
Gloucester County Gloucester County, NJ. Websitepage
Atlantic County The Official Atlantic County, New Jersey Government Website Serving the Needs of County Residents, Businesses and Visitors.
Cumberland County Cumberland County, New Jersey (NJ)
Sussex County Sussex County Official Sussex County of New Jersey Web site – Information available includes departments, board of freeholders, county clerk, surrogate, sheriff, directory services, economic development, business overview, tourism, education, history, municipal profiles, government, recreation and culture, demographics, and links
Hunterdon County Hunterdon County, NJ
Warren County County of Warren, NJ
Cape May County Cape May County, NJ – Official Website
Salem County City of Salem New Jersey | Open for business!

New Jersey Jail Roster

Bergen County Jail Inmates Bergen County Sheriff’s Office
Inmate Search Results – County of Burlington Burlington County Inmate Locator
Cape May County Sheriff’s Office – Currently Incarcerated Inmates Cape May County Current Inmates
Essex County Jail inmate search Essex County Inmate Search
Hunterdon County, NJ Sheriff’s Office Hunterdon County Jail Roster
Mercer County Sheriff’s Office Jail Inmate Search Mercer County Inmate Lookup
Inmate Search – Monmouth County Sheriff’s Office Monmouth County Inmate Search
Passaic County Jail Passaic County Inmate List
Salem County Inmate Lookup Tool Salem County Sheriff’s Inmate Search
Sussex County Sheriff’s Office: Correctional Facility—Inmate Visitation/Information Learn what is required in order to visit someone incarcerated at the Keogh-Dwyer Correctional Facility. Also includes information about inmate mail, personal property, accounts and phone calls.
New Jersey Department of Corrections New Jersey Department of Corrections.
New Jersey Criminal History Records Information | New Jersey State Police New Jersey Criminal History Record Information
Municipal Court Case Search New Jersey Court Case Records Search
New Jersey Sex Offender Internet Registry | New Jersey State Police New Jersey Sex Offender Internet Registry