Essex County is in the Northeastern part of Massachusetts. Spread over 492.5 square miles, the county is the 9th largest in Massachusetts by land area. At the 2020 census, the population of the county was over 800,000 people with 330,000 households.

Courts in Essex County

In Essex County, the court system consists of Superior Courts, District Courts, Probate and Family Courts, Housing Courts, and Juvenile Courts. The Superior Courts in Essex County are courts of general jurisdiction. The courts handle a wide range of civil and criminal matters. For example, the court has exclusive original jurisdiction over first-degree murder cases. It also has jurisdiction over other felonies. The civil division of the court handles matters where the claim is over $50,000.

The District Courts in Essex County hear a wide range of cases, including civil, criminal, housing, juvenile, and mental health. The court’s criminal jurisdiction extends to felonies by a sentence of up to five years, misdemeanors, and violations of the city and town ordinances and by-laws. The court’s civil jurisdiction extends to cases where the claims do not exceed $50,000. The court also handles small claim cases with damages up to $7,000.

Probate and Family Courts in Essex County handle cases involving families and children. The court’s jurisdiction extends to family and probate-related matters such as divorce, paternity, child support, custody, wills, estate, and trusts.

Where to Find Public Court Records in Essex County

The Essex County Records Access Officer holds records for courts in the county. To access these records, interested members of the public can either visit the Records Access Officer’s Office, send a request mail, or access the records online. To access records that are not available online, members of the public can also visit the court in which such a case was filed.

Types of Public Court Records in Essex County

Essex County designates the following court records as public:

• Civil Court Records: including records relating to breach of contract, personal injury, and debt recovery
• Criminal Court Records: including court proceedings for felonies and misdemeanors
• Family Court Records: including divorce, custody, and adoption cases
• Probate Court Records: such as trusts, wills, and documentation of estate assets and liabilities

Confidential Court Records in Essex County

While some court records are made accessible to the public in Essex County, the public does not have access to others designated as confidential. Such records may be sealed from public access due to the provisions of certain laws or by a court order. Examples of confidential court records in Essex County include the following:

• Juvenile records
• Domestic violence records
• Adoption proceedings
• Identifying information about jurors

Juvenile Delinquency in Essex, MA

Unfortunately, in many areas of the Essex County, juvenile delinquency issues are on the rise. There are many reasons for the rise in youth offenders. The juvenile sentence in Massachusetts often depends on the severity of the crime, the number of crimes, and other family matters.

In 2017, a total of 1212 juvenile cases were reported for every 100,000 people age 10 to adulthood in the jurisdiction of Essex County. Of that total, 0% of those proceedings were delinquencies which equaled 1 court cases. Another 29% were dependency cases that accounted for 349 of the juvenile cases.

A lot of counties, including, Essex County, are focusing on family therapy and relationships rather than punishment for juvenile crimes. Future Essex County juvenile delinquency numbers will show whether or not this approach is working.

Essex County, MA Courts