How do I check someone's criminal record in the state of California?

I need to check the criminal record of a specific individual in the state of California. This is not for fun, this is not for selfish purposes - I honestly need to know of their criminal history, (if it exists), for safety reasons. Every site that offers criminal history of the individual requires a payment before I can actually view the record; I am, however, only 16 and can't make said payment. I know that there has to be SOME WAY to access criminal records, though, because that information could be possibly life saving in certain situtations and I find it hard to believe that such potentially important information would be witheld from the community and/or individuals who seek it.