canonical: https://jentic.com/apis/completecriminalchecks.com/completecriminalchecks # Complete Criminal Checks API Jentic publishes the only available OpenAPI specification for Complete Criminal Checks API, keeping it validated and agent-ready. The Complete Criminal Checks API performs name-based searches across publicly available US criminal-record data sources including arrests, sex-offender registries, inmate rosters, and most-wanted lists. It is built around a single search endpoint that consumes one credit per query and returns matching records with the originating source. The API is suited to background-check workflows for housing, gig-platform onboarding, or due diligence where a quick public-records sweep is needed. ## For AI agents Search US public criminal records by name across arrests, sex-offender, inmate, and most-wanted data sources, charged at one credit per search. ## Scope Does not provide FCRA-regulated reports, credit data, or international criminal records - use for US public-records name searches only. ## Capabilities - Search public criminal records by full name across multiple US data sources - Filter a search to specific source types such as arrests, sex offenders, inmates, or most wanted - Return matching records with the source that produced each hit - Track credit consumption per search against the account balance - Run reusable name-based screens for housing, gig, or volunteer onboarding ## Use cases ### Tenant Screening Run a public-records criminal sweep against a prospective tenant before signing a lease. The /search.php endpoint accepts a name and returns matches across arrest, sex-offender, inmate, and most-wanted sources, with one credit deducted per call. Independent landlords and small property managers use this as a low-cost first-pass screen before commissioning a full FCRA-compliant report. Example prompt: Search the name 'John A Smith' across all available sources and return the list of matching records with their source labels ### Gig and Volunteer Onboarding Add a quick public-records check to the onboarding flow for gig workers, contractors, or volunteers. The single-endpoint API is straightforward to wire into an onboarding form and the credit-per-search pricing keeps the cost predictable. This is appropriate for non-FCRA informational screening; for adverse-action decisions a regulated background-check provider should also be used. Example prompt: For each new sitter applicant in the queue, call /search.php with their name and flag any results from the sex-offender source for human review ### Due Diligence Lookups Add a public-records sweep to a wider due-diligence workflow alongside corporate-register and sanctions data. A single name search returns hits across multiple US datasets, which can be combined with PSC and sanctions results to build a richer picture of a counterparty. The credit-based model makes one-off lookups cheap to integrate. Example prompt: Take the named directors returned from a Companies House lookup and run each name through /search.php, returning any with non-empty results ### Agent-Driven Screening via Jentic Let an AI assistant trigger a public-records screen as part of an onboarding or research conversation. Through Jentic the agent searches by intent, loads the schema for the single search endpoint, and executes the call without the developer wiring auth or credit tracking. Results are returned in structured form for the agent to summarise to the user. Example prompt: On the prompt 'check if Jane Doe has any public criminal records', call /search.php with name=Jane Doe and report a one-line summary of any matches ## Key endpoints | Method | Path | Description | | --- | --- | --- | | GET | `/search.php` | Search criminal records by name across selected sources | ## Key resources - **Search** — Name-based search across criminal-record data sources, charged at 1 credit per call ## Why Jentic - **Setup:** Wiring Complete Criminal Checks by hand means learning its API key scheme, building the public-records search query, and parsing its results yourself. Through Jentic you install once, import Complete Criminal Checks from the API Directory, store the key once, and your agent calls it. - **Permission scoping:** Complete Criminal Checks exposes a single search that takes its terms in the query, so limit the agent to the operation it needs, the public-records name search. You choose the operations it may call, so only the search you allow is callable and nothing else. - **Credential handling:** Your Complete Criminal Checks API key is stored once, encrypted, by your own Jentic One instance and injected at execution time. It never enters the agent's prompt, logs, or context. - **Discovery method:** Agents search Jentic by intent such as 'run a US public-records name search', and Jentic returns the matching Complete Criminal Checks operation with its input schema so the agent calls the right endpoint without browsing the reference docs. ## Related APIs - **Onfido** — Identity verification with document and biometric checks plus optional background checks - **Persona** — Configurable identity verification platform with KYC, document, and database checks - **OpenSanctions** — Sanctions, PEP, and watchlist screening across global jurisdictions ## FAQ ### Why is there no official OpenAPI spec for Complete Criminal Checks API? Complete Criminal Checks does not publish an OpenAPI specification. Jentic generates and maintains this spec so that AI agents and developers can call Complete Criminal Checks API via structured tooling. It is validated against the live API and kept up to date. Get started with Jentic One, the self-hosted execution layer. ### What authentication does the Complete Criminal Checks API use? The API uses an API key passed in the X-API-Key request header. Through Jentic the key is stored encrypted in the vault and injected at execution time, so the raw key never enters the agent's prompt or logs. HTTPS is required. ### Can I search the sex offender registry with this API? Yes. Call /search.php with the name parameter and constrain the source filter to the sex-offender dataset. The response lists matches with their originating source so you can separate sex-offender hits from arrest or inmate records. ### What are the rate limits and pricing for the Complete Criminal Checks API? Pricing is credit-based: each call to /search.php costs one credit from your account balance. There is no documented per-second rate limit; high-volume integrations should monitor remaining credits and add backoff if HTTP 429 is returned. ### How do I run a criminal record search through Jentic? Run the Jentic search query 'search public criminal records by name', load the returned operation (GET /search.php), and execute it with the name parameter. The response returns the list of matched records and the data source for each hit. ### Is this API FCRA-compliant for employment decisions? No. Complete Criminal Checks is a public-records search and is not a Consumer Reporting Agency under the US Fair Credit Reporting Act. Do not use it as the sole basis for hiring, tenancy, or credit adverse-action decisions; pair it with an FCRA-regulated provider when an adverse action is on the table. ### Can I limit what my agent is allowed to do with the Complete Criminal Checks API? Yes. Because you run Jentic One yourself, your own rules decide which operations and credentials the agent may use. The Complete Criminal Checks API exposes a single operation, the name-based public-records search (GET /search.php), so you can allow just that one call and nothing else is reachable. Your API key stays with your own instance and is injected only when the search you approved runs.