Criminal Record Checks

An investigation of criminal records can protect you from Negligent Hiring lawsuits. These reports are a compilation of records from several sources depending on your company’s needs. Searches can be done on the county, state, federal, national and even international levels. Many companies get this information by using only online databases. This tactic is known as screen-scraping and can lead to old or dismissed charges being reported to an employer. The more effective way to get the complete picture of your applicant is to have people on the ground, combing through actual records to make sure they have the right person and the final outcome in any criminal case.

County Criminal Record Searches

County searches are one of the most powerful tools when it comes to uncovering criminal history. Both felonies and misdemeanors are filed at the county level. Searches are done based on the candidate’s address history (obtained through the SSN search) and can provide the charges, the file date, the final outcome and sentencing information.

Statewide Criminal Records Search

Statewide Criminal Searches look at central state repositories for felony and misdemeanors records. Information in these repositories comes from law enforcement agencies, courts and corrections agencies throughout the state. Unfortunately, not all statewide searches are created equally. Each state decides how information will be imported and who will have access. Not all states maintain accurate up-to-date information, and depending on the state may not cover all levels of courts.

National Criminal Records Search (NCRD)

This national database helps identify criminal offenses outside the areas an applicant has lived or worked. The database has hundreds of millions of records that can be instantly accessed. The database is a compilation of criminal records, information from municipal, circuit, district and superior court repositories as well as the Department of Corrections, the FBI, U.S. Marshal, U.S. Customs, the DEA, Secret Service and the Department of Justice. This search also includes the National Sex Offender Registry.

Federal Criminal Records Search

Federal Criminal offenses are crimes committed against the US government and therefore will not appear on searches on the state and county level. Embezzlement, bank robbery and interstate drug trafficking are just some of the offenses that fall under federal jurisdiction.

FBI Fingerprint Database Search

Some industries are required by law to include fingerprints in their background checks. This is done by submitting prints to the FBI fingerprint database. Fingerprint based background checks alone cannot provide you a complete picture of your applicant's criminal history because it depends on local jurisdictions uploading information about arrests and final dispositions. The database might have some or none of the information. It can be used as a piece of the screening puzzle, but should not be depended on as a one-stop-shop for background information.

Brian the Builder has moved around a lot, his background check takes a little elbow grease. Some states he’s lived in only allow you to check the state repository for criminal records. Others have terribly out-of-date systems that keep the accurate records locked up at the county level. If you have any hope of finding his aggravated assault charges against the guy running the local food truck, you might not want to depend on just one type of search.

How Criminal Record Checks Work