Hawaii Arrest Records: How to Search and What They Mean

Hawaii takes a fundamentally different approach to arrest record access than most states. In nearly every other state covered in this series, an arrest record is public whether or not it led to a conviction. In Hawaii, it is the opposite: only arrest records that resulted in convictions are public. Non-conviction arrest records -- dismissed charges, acquittals, pending cases -- are confidential and not available to the general public. That distinction shapes everything about how arrest records work in Hawaii and who can see what. This guide explains the system, the practical tools, and what expungement looks like here.

What Makes Hawaii Arrest Records Public -- and What Stays Confidential

Hawaii's public records framework is established in the Uniform Information Practices Act, codified in Hawaii Revised Statutes Chapter 92F. However, criminal history record access is specifically governed by HRS Section 846-9, which creates a clear split.

Arrest records that resulted in convictions -- including acquittals or dismissals by reason of physical or mental disease, disorder, or defect under Chapter 704, HRS -- are considered public records and are available through the eCrim system and public access sites statewide.

Arrest records that resulted in non-convictions -- dismissed charges, acquittals, pending cases -- are confidential. Only criminal justice agencies and agencies specifically authorized by Hawaii law can access non-conviction arrest information. Private individuals, employers, and the general public cannot.

This is the central and defining feature of Hawaii's system. If someone was arrested and the case was dismissed, that arrest does not appear on a public background check in Hawaii. It remains in the HCJDC database as a confidential record accessible only to authorized agencies.

The Hawaii Criminal Justice Data Center, known as HCJDC, operates under the Department of the Attorney General and serves as the central repository for criminal history record information statewide. HCJDC manages both the public eCrim system and the confidential law enforcement records.

What a Hawaii Arrest Record Contains

For arrest records that are publicly accessible -- meaning those that resulted in convictions -- the HCJDC record includes identification data such as the person's name, date of birth, sex, and Social Security number. It includes the arresting agency, date of arrest, charges filed, and the final judicial disposition, which is the court outcome that made the record public in the first place.

Booking photographs, or mugshots, are not automatically part of the publicly accessible eCrim record. Each county's police department manages its own booking records, and public access to mugshots varies by county and agency.

For non-conviction arrests, no public-facing record exists through official channels. The record is in the HCJDC database as a confidential entry, but it will not appear in a public eCrim search or background check.

How to Search Hawaii Arrest Records

The eCrim system is the primary public tool. It is operated by the HCJDC and is accessible online at ecrim.ehawaii.gov. A name-based search costs $5 per query. If the search returns a record and you want a certified copy, that costs an additional $12 per record. The eCrim system only shows adult conviction information -- it will not surface non-conviction arrests or juvenile records.

Public access sites at county police departments across the state also allow name-based conviction searches in person for $25 per search. Locations include:

Honolulu Police Department, 801 South Beretania Street, Honolulu, HI 96813, phone 808-529-3191

Hawaii Police Department (Big Island), 349 Kapiolani Street, Hilo, HI 96720, phone 808-961-2233

Kona Police Station, 74-5221 Queen Kaahumanu Highway, Kailua-Kona, HI 96740, phone 808-326-4646 ext. 286

Kauai County Police Department, 3990 Kaana Street, Lihue, HI 96766, phone 808-241-1661

Maui County Police Department, 55 Mahalani Street, Wailuku, HI 96793, phone 808-244-6345

For a full personal record review including confidential non-conviction entries, you can access your own record through the HCJDC's Access and Review process, which requires fingerprints.

The HCJDC main office is located at 465 South King Street, Room 101, Honolulu, HI 96813. The criminal history phone line is 808-587-3279.

For multi-source background searches, TruthFinder aggregates public record data from court systems and other available public sources, though in Hawaii the available public data is limited to conviction records by design.

VINELink at vinelink.com connects to the Hawaii Department of Public Safety corrections system and allows free registration for notifications when an individual's custody status changes.

How Hawaii Holds People After an Arrest

Hawaii does not have a traditional county jail system the way most states do. Hawaii has five counties -- Honolulu (Oahu), Hawaii County (Big Island), Maui County, Kauai County, and Kalawao County -- but corrections are managed statewide by the Hawaii Department of Public Safety's Corrections Division rather than by separate county sheriffs operating independent jails.

After an arrest, a person is held at a county police department lock-up for the short term. For people who are remanded to custody or serving sentences, they enter the DPS corrections system. The DPS Corrections Division does not currently operate a comprehensive free online inmate search database comparable to state DOC systems in other states. To locate someone in Hawaii state custody, VINELink at vinelink.com is the most accessible tool. You can also contact the DPS Corrections Division directly or reach out to the county police department where the arrest occurred for recent bookings.

Federal Arrests in Hawaii

Federal arrests in Hawaii are made by agencies including the FBI, the DEA, U.S. Marshals, and Homeland Security Investigations. After federal sentencing, individuals enter the Bureau of Prisons rather than the Hawaii DPS system.

The BOP Inmate Locator at bop.gov/inmateloc is the official free tool for locating anyone serving a federal sentence. Search by name or BOP register number. Federal court records are available through the PACER system at pacer.gov.

Federal arrests and convictions are not part of the HCJDC database. The eCrim system does not include federal criminal history -- it covers only Hawaii state adult conviction records.

Arrest Records Versus Conviction Records

In Hawaii, the line between arrest records and conviction records is cleaner and more protective than in most states. The public arrest record, for all practical purposes, is the conviction record. Non-conviction arrest records exist in the HCJDC system but are shielded from public access.

An arrest in Hawaii that does not result in conviction will not appear in public background checks, will not show on eCrim, and -- if expunged -- is treated as if it never happened for most purposes. That is meaningfully different from states like Florida, where a non-conviction arrest appears on public records until the person takes legal action to seal or expunge it.

Hawaii's Expungement Process Under HRS 831-3.2

Hawaii Revised Statutes Section 831-3.2 authorizes the Attorney General to expunge non-conviction arrest records upon written application to the HCJDC. Expungement in Hawaii applies to arrests that did not result in conviction -- the same category of arrests that is already confidential under the public records framework.

To apply, submit an expungement application to the HCJDC at 465 South King Street, Room 102, Honolulu, HI 96813, along with a $35 application fee. The process takes approximately 120 days to complete. Applicants are notified by mail if their application is denied.

Once an expungement order is issued, the arrest record is placed in a confidential file by law enforcement agencies statewide. As of July 1, 2025, expungement orders are automatically transmitted to the Hawaii State Judiciary, which seals the corresponding court case records. This streamlined process -- enacted through Act 003 (2025) -- eliminates the prior requirement for individuals to separately petition the courts for case sealing after receiving an expungement order.

After expungement, persons are treated as having not been arrested for the expunged offense. Law enforcement agencies and courts may still access the confidential record in specific circumstances -- for presentence investigations, national security positions, and law enforcement acting within the scope of duties.

Expungement is not available for arrests that resulted in guilty dispositions, except in narrow circumstances involving specific first-time drug and property offender statutes, certain operating-a-vehicle-after-consuming-alcohol charges for people under 21, and deferred acceptances of guilty or no-contest pleas after applicable waiting periods. Pardoned charges do not qualify for expungement -- they remain with a pardon notation.

InmateAid's guides on expungement cover Hawaii's framework in more detail. The mugshot removal landscape in Hawaii is less complex than in states with open booking photo policies, but third-party data sites may still surface information from public sources.