Legal Question in Criminal Law in California

Most materials in a court file are public records. The major exception is for juvenile cases, but a defendant who was sentenced to county jail must have been an adult.

Many courts have websites on which the public can access case files. What you're looking for may just be a few clicks away.

Alternatively, you can go to the courthouse, review the file, and ask the clerk to copy specific pages for you. That can be expensive if you want a lot of material, since the per-page rate is pretty high. Another option is to send a copy service to the clerk's office and tell them what you want copied. That may be your best option if the court is far from you or if you just can't get there during business hours.

If you want a written transcript of a courtroom proceeding, you will have to pay a court reporter to prepare it. That can be very expensive, particularly if the transcript is long and if no one else has ordered it before. Different courts have different procedures for ordering transcripts, so you should check the website of this particular court to find out what you need to do.

Indigent defendants who are appealing their convictions have a right to court transcripts for free. But if the defendant is not appealing, and you want a transcript of a specific hearing to determine compliance, you will have to contact the court reporter for that hearing and pay to have a transcript made.