Legal Question in Criminal Law in California

Re: Public Information Requests - Criminal Court Documents

Everything in the court's file is public information except some documents that are in envelopes in the file. The clerk will charge whatever the county has set to make copies of all the documents in the file. Last time I checked it was about 80 cents a page. Then if you want the documents certified true copies. It's another couple of dollars. Usually probation reports are not public documents. And they are in the envelopes in the court file, and will not be copied by the clerks.

Re: Public Information Requests - Criminal Court Documents

Thanks for your question. Unfortunately, Riverside County is one of the only counties that does not have information online, even though they have a very good system of imaging documents.

You should be able to get court hearing transcripts, a copy of the complaint only, but not probation officer reports (normally) or police reports. Those are not considered public record, and are released only to the attorney of record. As an attorney, it is much easier to get those documents.

As far as fees, the state allows counties to set the fees per page. You should call the clerk's office to find out the current fees.

Best of luck, and I hope this helps.