Original papers filed in criminal court proceedings. The filing systems for these papers have varied over time. Before 1969 cases were arranged numerically within each calendar year. Case numbers begin with 1 for each year. For access it is necessary to know both the year and the docket/case number. Beginning in 1969 the Criminal Court switched to a new case numbering system. Each file was assigned an eight-digit number that encoded a considerable amount of information as follows. Take the example 17835117. The first digit (1) indicates the kind of case: 1) indictment returned by the grand jury, 2) criminal information returned by the states attorney's office; 3) an appeal from the district court; 4) warrant case; 5) indictment returned by the grand jury; 6) criminal information returned by the states attorney's office; 7) post conviction; 8) change of venue; and 9) grand jury dismissal. The second and third digits (78) identify the calendar year in which the case was docketed; in our example 1978. The fourth, fifth, and sixth digits (351) identify the calender day on which the case was docketed; in our example the 351st day of the year, or December 17th. The seventh and eighth digits (17) identify this case as the 17th case to appear on the docket on the day indicated. Access to the criminal papers is provided by the criminal docket in series C1849 and T59.

During an appeal, part(s) of a case file needed for the appeal may be removed and combined with the transcript. A constitutional amendment passed in 1980 consolidated the Baltimore Courts. It took effect in on January 1, 1983, and the Superior Court was absorbed into the Baltimore City Circuit Court, functioning as any other county circuit court, with one court clerk. Therefore, a search for a criminal file, identified as (Criminal Papers), should include both the (Criminal Papers) and (Criminal Transcript) series as follows: Prior to 1983 - T495 (Criminal Papers) and T496 (Transcripts); beginning 1983 - T3372 (Criminal Papers) and T3657 (Criminal Transcripts). Periodically, transcripts are found in interfile/refile boxes for the (Criminal Papers) and vice versa with (Criminal Papers) refiled within the (Criminal Transcript) series as a result of the hybrid nature created when combined and then returned to the Archives by the Circuit Court.

For year 1981, the Archives only has records for District Court Appeals. All other records for year 1981 were not transferred to the Archives and may no longer exist.