Dukes County Felony Records

Dukes County felony records are maintained by the Superior Court and District Court in Edgartown on Martha's Vineyard. As an island county, Dukes has some unique access considerations compared to mainland Massachusetts courts. This guide covers how to search Dukes County felony case records, how the CORI system applies, how to contact the courts, and what to expect when dealing with felony records from this island community.

Dukes County Superior Court Felony Records

The Dukes County Superior Court handles all indicted felony cases from Martha's Vineyard and the Elizabeth Islands. The court is at 81 Main Street, Edgartown, MA 02539. Phone: (508) 627-4661. Grand jury proceedings, felony trials, and sentencing all take place here. Case records stored at this court include indictments, plea agreements, and final judgments of conviction or acquittal. The clerk's office processes all document requests.

Because Dukes County is an island, you should call ahead before planning a visit to request records. Call (508) 627-4661 to confirm current hours, document fees, and whether the case you need is available in electronic or paper form. The court operates Monday through Friday, generally 8:30 AM to 4:30 PM, but island courts sometimes have schedule variations depending on the time of year. Call first to avoid an unnecessary trip.

You can also search basic case information online for free at masscourts.org. MassCourts covers the Dukes County Superior Court and the District Court. Enter the defendant's name or case number to see docket entries, hearing dates, charges, and case status. This can help you confirm a case exists and identify the case number before making an in-person or written request for full documents.

The Dukes County Superior Court at 81 Main Street in Edgartown on Martha's Vineyard handles all major felony proceedings for the island communities of Dukes County.

Edgartown District Court and Early Felony Proceedings

The Edgartown District Court is also at 81 Main Street, Edgartown, MA 02539. Phone: (508) 627-7015. This court handles the early stages of felony cases, including arraignments, bail hearings, and probable cause hearings. When the Cape and Islands DA presents a case to the grand jury and an indictment is returned, the case moves from District Court to Superior Court.

Because both the Superior Court and the District Court share the same building at 81 Main Street, the clerk offices are at the same location. This can make it easier to handle both stages of a case search in one visit. Even after a felony case moves to Superior Court, the District Court retains its file from the early proceedings. If you need the complete timeline of a case, check both court files.

The island location means all court services operate out of this single building in Edgartown. Unlike mainland counties that may have multiple district court locations spread across a large geographic area, Dukes County concentrates all court activity at one site. This simplifies your search but means in-person access requires a trip to Martha's Vineyard by ferry from Woods Hole or other departure points.

Dukes County Felony Records Through CORI

The Massachusetts CORI system is the main statewide tool for accessing criminal conviction history. Managed by DCJIS under MGL Chapter 6, CORI includes charges and dispositions from all Massachusetts courts, including Dukes County. A felony conviction from Dukes County Superior Court will appear on a standard CORI report. Felony records stay on CORI for 10 years after conviction or release. Murder and sex offense convictions have no lookback limit.

You can request your own CORI from DCJIS at 200 Arlington Street, Suite 2200, Chelsea, MA 02150. Phone: (617) 660-4600. The fee for a personal CORI is $25, waived if you are indigent. DCJIS mails the report after processing. One advantage of the CORI system for Dukes County is that you do not need to travel to the island to get a statewide criminal history report. The DCJIS office is on the mainland in Chelsea, and you can mail in your request.

The DCJIS CORI portal provides a statewide approach to accessing Dukes County felony conviction history without requiring an in-person visit to the island courts.

Dukes County Sheriff and Jail Records

The Dukes County Sheriff's Office is at 9 Main Street, Edgartown, MA 02539. Phone: (508) 627-5171. The Sheriff runs the county jail, which holds people arrested in Dukes County who are awaiting trial on felony charges or serving shorter sentences. Contact the Sheriff's Office to check whether someone is currently in custody at the island facility. Due to the island's location, the jail serves a smaller population than mainland county facilities.

People sentenced to more than two and a half years for a Dukes County felony conviction are sent to state Department of Correction facilities on the mainland. The DOC has a separate inmate locator. For those individuals, the Dukes County Sheriff will not have current custody information. Town police departments on the island, including Edgartown, Oak Bluffs, Tisbury, and others, can be contacted for arrest record requests through a public records process.

The island's seasonal population creates some unique patterns in the Sheriff's records. Dukes County sees a large influx of visitors in summer months, and some arrests and felony cases involve seasonal residents or visitors rather than year-round islanders. This does not change how records are maintained or accessed, but it may affect the volume of cases in certain time periods.

Cape and Islands DA and Prosecution Records

The Cape and Islands District Attorney serves Barnstable County, Dukes County, and Nantucket County. The main office is at 3195 Main Street, Barnstable, MA 02630. Phone: (508) 362-5601. Website: barnstableda.com. This is one of the few DA offices in Massachusetts that covers multiple counties. All felony cases from Martha's Vineyard are prosecuted by this office, even though the court is on the island itself.

The DA's office does not give out copies of case files to the public. For court documents, contact the Edgartown clerk's offices directly. The DA can sometimes confirm whether a case is being actively prosecuted or has been resolved. Given the island location of the Dukes County courts, some coordination with the mainland DA office may be required for certain matters.

Sealing Felony Records from Dukes County

Under MGL Chapter 276, Section 100A, Massachusetts allows people to petition to seal felony convictions seven years after conviction or release, whichever is later. After sealing, the record does not appear on standard CORI checks. Courts, law enforcement, and certain state agencies retain access, but the general public does not.

To seal a Dukes County felony conviction, you petition the court that convicted you. That is either the Dukes County Superior Court or the Edgartown District Court, both at 81 Main Street in Edgartown. The petition process is free. Because the island location can make in-person visits difficult, check whether petitions can be submitted by mail. Call the clerk's office at (508) 627-4661 to ask. Resources like MassLegalHelp have guides on the sealing process. Greater Boston Legal Services can also help you understand whether you are eligible and what the petition requires.

Practical Notes for Accessing Dukes County Felony Records

Accessing records from an island court has some practical differences from mainland county courts. You cannot just drive over on short notice. Ferry service from Woods Hole to Vineyard Haven and Oak Bluffs runs regularly, but schedules and fares vary by season. Plan your trip carefully if you need to visit the courts in person.

For many requests, calling or writing ahead is more practical than just showing up. The clerk's office at (508) 627-4661 and the Sheriff's Office at (508) 627-5171 can both handle phone inquiries and written requests. For CORI requests, you never need to visit the island at all since DCJIS is on the mainland in Chelsea. Online searches through MassCourts are also mainland-accessible and can tell you a lot before you decide whether an in-person visit is worth the trip.

Communities in Dukes County

Dukes County covers Martha's Vineyard and the Elizabeth Islands. No communities in Dukes County meet the population threshold for individual city pages on this site. The towns on Martha's Vineyard include Edgartown, Oak Bluffs, Tisbury (Vineyard Haven), West Tisbury, Chilmark, and Aquinnah. The Elizabeth Islands are the town of Gosnold. All felony cases from these island communities are handled by the Dukes County Superior Court and Edgartown District Court.

Nearby Counties

Dukes County connects to the mainland through Barnstable County, which shares the same Cape and Islands DA's office. Nantucket is the other island county in Massachusetts and shares that same prosecutorial structure.