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In the United States, criminal records are compiled on any individual that is convicted of a crime by the legal system at the city, state, or federal level in order to maintain an accurate account of the individual's criminal history. Compiling all of the information into a single report makes it easier for the different branches of law enforcement, along with select others, to find the information pertaining to a specific individual quickly and review it in a set format that all parties can easily follow.

Criminal records can be used in a number of different ways, depending on the situation at hand. They are typically used for identification purposes, providing information on suspects in a criminal investigation, and can even determine an individual's eligibility for an employment position.

The role of criminal records being used as an investigative device for cases where there are few leads has been steadily increasing over the last decade as investigators have seen how important this tool can be for finding potential suspects or prior instances of antisocial behavior on the part of the suspect that they are interested in. In some cases, they have found that an individual associated with the case has committed the same type of crime in the past, which would make them take a second, harder look at the suspect and their activities at the time that the crime occurred.

On the state and local law enforcement levels, the information in the criminal records is made public information which can be viewed or searched by anyone that wishes to view it. The information included in these public records can be anything from disclosure of a jaywalking ticket to assault and domestic violence charges to murder convictions. Many states also make information about criminal convictions for sexual offenses readily available to the individuals within their jurisdiction.

Criminal records involving federal crimes are often not so easily accessed by the general public. The federal government maintains an extensive database on the individuals that have been convicted of federal crimes, but access to the information is typically restricted to those individuals within the federal government that work with that type of information.

The information in the criminal records in the federal database can be accessed by any individual under certain circumstances, as mandated by the Freedom of Information Act and the Privacy Act. This generally only includes the disclosure of information about yourself, information about deceased individuals, and information about individuals that have given you permission to obtain and view their criminal records.