Malden Criminal History Records
Malden criminal history records are held by several agencies in Middlesex County, including the Malden Police Department, the Malden District Court, and the Middlesex County Superior Court in Woburn. Malden is a city of about 62,000 people located just north of Boston, and its criminal cases move through the state district and superior court system. This page explains how to find criminal records for Malden, how to request a CORI report, and what options exist for sealing older records.
Malden Overview
Where Malden Criminal Cases Are Filed
Most Malden criminal cases begin at the Malden District Court. This court handles arraignments, bail hearings, and trials for misdemeanors and lower-level felony charges that arise in Malden and Everett. The district court is the entry point for nearly all criminal matters in the city. You can search its docket at no cost through the state portal at masscourts.org.
When a case involves a more serious felony charge, or when the prosecution seeks a grand jury indictment, the matter moves to Middlesex County Superior Court. That court is located in Woburn at 200 Trade Center, Woburn, MA 01801. The Superior Court handles the most serious criminal matters from across Middlesex County, including cases that originate in Malden. Its clerk's office maintains records for all Superior Court criminal filings and allows public access to non-sealed case files.
Some Malden residents also have cases in federal court, particularly for charges involving drugs, firearms, or federal statutes. The U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts, located at 1 Courthouse Way in Boston, handles those. Federal records are not available through masscourts.org and require a separate search through the federal PACER system at pacer.gov. For most Malden criminal history searches, the district court and Superior Court dockets are the right place to start.
The Massachusetts court system provides contact details and addresses for all trial courts. Both the Malden District Court and Middlesex Superior Court maintain their own clerk's offices where you can request copies of records in person or by mail.
Malden Police Department Records
The Malden Police Department handles requests for arrest records, incident reports, and booking records for events that took place within Malden city limits. The Records Division processes these requests and can provide copies of reports to people who are authorized to receive them.
The Malden Police Department is at 800 Eastern Avenue, Malden, MA 02148. The main line is (781) 397-7171. For records requests, call the Records Division at extension 2110. Requests can be made in person during normal business hours or submitted by mail. Include the date of the incident, the location, any known report number, and a valid photo ID. Fees may apply for copies depending on the type and length of the report.
Arrest records from the Malden PD document when and where a person was taken into custody, what charges were listed at the time of arrest, and which officer made the arrest. These records do not reflect the final outcome of a case. An arrest does not mean a conviction. To find out how a case ended, you need to look at the court docket through masscourts.org or contact the district court clerk directly.
The department's website at cityofmalden.org/police has information on services and how to contact the department. Walk-in visits to the Records Division are usually the fastest way to get a report if you need it quickly. Mail requests work well for those who cannot come in person. Third-party requesters may face more limits on what they can receive depending on the nature of the report.
For incidents that cross city lines or involve multiple agencies, you may need to request records from both Malden PD and the relevant state or county agency. The Records Division can help point you in the right direction if the incident involved more than one responding agency.
Malden City Clerk and Public Records
The Malden City Clerk's office manages public records requests for documents held by the city. The clerk does not maintain criminal case files, which are held by the courts and the police department, but the office is the right contact for city-generated records and vital documents.
The City Clerk is at 215 Pleasant Street, Malden, MA 02148. The phone number is (781) 397-7020. The office handles birth, death, and marriage certificates and can help direct you to the right city department for other types of records. Details are at cityofmalden.org/city-clerk. Under Massachusetts public records law, city agencies must respond to public records requests within ten business days. If you are looking for criminal case records, the clerk's staff can tell you which court or department to contact.
For non-court criminal history records held by the city, such as police department internal documents not part of a court file, a formal public records request through the city clerk's office is the correct process. You can submit requests in writing or through the online portal if the city offers one. Keep a copy of your request and note the date you sent it, since the ten-day clock starts from receipt.
Court Records Online Search
The Massachusetts court portal at masscourts.org is a free public tool for searching case records across the state trial courts, including the Malden District Court and Middlesex County Superior Court. You can search by full name or case number. Results show party names, case numbers, charge descriptions, docket entries, hearing dates, and case status.
Not every record appears online. Some cases are sealed by court order and will not show up in a portal search. Older cases may also be missing if they were filed before the court started uploading records electronically. If a case you are looking for does not appear online, call the clerk's office at the relevant court and ask whether the file exists in paper form. Clerks can confirm whether a record is sealed or simply not yet digitized.
Certified copies of court documents cost $2.50 per page at most Massachusetts trial courts. Plain copies are less expensive. Certified copies carry the court's seal and the clerk's signature, making them legally valid for official purposes. You can request copies in person at the clerk's office, by mail, or in some cases through the state's electronic filing system at eFileMA.com. Include the case number if you have it to speed up the process.
The Middlesex County Sheriff's Office also has information relevant to criminal justice in the county. The image below comes from the Middlesex Sheriff's website, which provides resources on corrections and community programs in the county.
The Middlesex Sheriff's Office at middlesexsheriff.org covers services across the county including Malden.
The sheriff's office is one part of the broader criminal justice system that handles cases originating in Malden and other Middlesex County cities.
CORI: Criminal Offender Record Information
CORI stands for Criminal Offender Record Information. It is the official state criminal history record, compiled and maintained by the Department of Criminal Justice Information Services, or DCJIS. A CORI report includes arraignments, charges, dispositions, and sentences from Massachusetts courts. It does not include out-of-state cases or federal court records.
Malden residents can request their own CORI online through the iCORI system at icori.chs.state.ma.us. You need to create an account and verify your identity. The fee for a personal CORI is $25. Online requests typically process in 24 to 48 hours. Mail requests sent to DCJIS take about ten business days. The guide for requesting your own CORI is at mass.gov/how-to/request-cori-as-an-individual.
DCJIS is located at 200 Arlington Street, Suite 2200, Chelsea, MA 02150. Their phone number is (617) 660-4600. More information about the agency and the CORI program is at mass.gov/orgs/department-of-criminal-justice-information-services. The legal basis for CORI is in M.G.L. c. 6 § 167 and M.G.L. c. 6 § 172, which set out what records are collected and who may access them.
If you believe your CORI has an error, DCJIS has a process for challenging inaccurate entries. You file a dispute with the agency and they review the record against court and law enforcement data. Errors do happen, and it is worth checking your own record if you have reason to think something is wrong. The CORI law overview page at mass.gov/info-details/massachusetts-law-about-criminal-records-cori explains your rights under state law.
Open-access CORI requests, which are available to the public for certain categories of records under state law, cost $50 per request. Most individuals requesting their own criminal history only need the $25 personal request. The iCORI portal is the fastest and most convenient way to do it.
Sealing Criminal Records in Malden
Massachusetts law allows qualifying criminal records to be sealed under M.G.L. c. 276 § 100A. Sealing removes a record from most public searches, including CORI results and the masscourts.org portal, but does not destroy the file. Courts and law enforcement can still see sealed records in future proceedings.
Misdemeanor records may be eligible for sealing after three years from the close of the case. Felony records generally require a seven-year wait. Some offense types are not eligible at all. A Malden resident who wants to seal a record must file a petition with the court that handled the case. For cases that went through the Malden District Court, you file at that court's clerk's office. For Superior Court cases, you file at the Middlesex County Superior Court clerk in Woburn.
Expungement is a newer and narrower option in Massachusetts. It is available for certain offenses committed by young adults and for cases that resulted from an identity error or misidentification. Expungement fully removes the record from state systems. The petition process is handled by the court that handled the original case. Both sealing and expungement take time and require proper paperwork, but they are real options for people who qualify. The Massachusetts court system's website has current guidance on both processes.
Nearby Cities
Other cities near Malden with criminal history pages include Somerville, Medford, Everett, Cambridge, Waltham, Lowell, Newton, and Framingham.
Middlesex County Criminal History Records
Malden is part of Middlesex County, the most populous county in Massachusetts. All Malden criminal cases filed in state court are part of the Middlesex County court system. The county page covers the full range of courts, clerks, and agencies that handle criminal history records across the county, including the Superior Court in Woburn and the various district courts throughout the region.