Criminal background checks are conducted by employers to create a safe workplace environment for employees to work. Due to this fact, 80% of corporate employers in USA adopt criminal history checks to evaluate whether an individual has a past that can have a major impact on the safety and performance of employees while on the job.
In the US, criminal background checks are run on federal, nationwide, state and local levels. It has usually been found that national criminal database searches provide on-the-run inexpensive data. But does it provide the quality of background check that you pay for? On the other hand, local criminal searches are time consuming and more expensive, but are they still worth the effort? Let us try to find out the answers to these questions through this article.
Criminal History Searches Carried Out by a Reputed Background Screening Vendor
- Federal criminal search
- National Criminal Database Searches
- Statewide criminal search
- Local/County Searches
Let us look at each of these in details :
1. Federal Search
A federal criminal check contains reported information from 93 districts that handle federal, criminal, civil and bankruptcy cases. This type of search will not let you find state or local level criminal information.
When to Use Federal Criminal Check :
The best time to use it search is when hiring managerial, executive and financial positions to reveal serious "white collar" crimes. Employers need to use caution before concluding over a particular record due to the limitations of a federal search. A good background screening vendor will send a researcher to the court to resolve these discrepancies. It is also important for the employers to comply with the rules and regulations related to collection, dissemination and use of criminal information throughout the employee selection process.
2. National Criminal Database Searches
A national criminal database check can reveal majority of more than 3,000 U.S. jurisdictions with a single search. But the problem is not all jurisdictions allow access to their data and not every database has been managed properly.
When to Use National Criminal Database Search :
National criminal database search plays a critical role for the positions where a criminal background check is appropriate and relevant to the job. But the best place to get precise criminal search information is at the county or local level courts and not through a national database. With the help of national criminal database search, you can get useful information pertaining to specific local criminal searches.
3. State-Level Criminal Checks
Just like criminal database searches, state-level criminal record checks should be supplemented through a specific local jurisdiction searches.
When to Use a Statewide Criminal search:
Similar to national records searches, a statewide criminal verification should be used as a guide to local level searches. Although it can be a very useful pointer, it does not act as an authoritative source.
4. Local Criminal Checks
Local criminal background check help in getting the most relevant criminal information for job candidates and employees. But there is a need to take corrective steps to ensure compliance, quality and accuracy.
When to use local criminal searches :
Local criminal searches should be run in any jurisdiction where the applicant or employee has lived. It is a normal practice for employers to take a 7 year address history and then search for those jurisdictions. They will also use a state or national database search to find out any probable criminal activity in jurisdictions other than the previous residences. But keep in mind, federal crimes are not found in local records. This is a great reason to conduct comprehensive check on the applicant's past by searching multiple sources.
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