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What is a Criminal Background Check?

K T Solis
K T Solis

A criminal background check is a process of searching to determine if an applicant has a criminal record. This is to ensure that information provided by a potential employee is accurate. Once a background check is conducted, employers have access to any pending or past criminal convictions of a potential applicant. These records are located in databases maintained by the (FBI) Federal Bureau of Investigation, the State Department of Public Safety, or any other agency that deals with such information. If an employer discovers that an applicant lied about their criminal history, the employer may refuse to hire the applicant or terminate employment if the person has already been hired.

Criminal background checks have become so commonplace that anyone who wants to find out private information about another person can do so quite easily. A simple internet search provides an almost endless list of online companies that offer criminal background check services for a fee.

Many employers will perform a criminal background check prior to hiring someone.
Many employers will perform a criminal background check prior to hiring someone.

When an applicant consents to a background check, she must provide her legal name, any previous names, her social security number, her present address, and all former addresses she has used throughout her adult life. This will allow the employer to discover whether or not an applicant has a criminal history, no matter where the applicant has lived in the past. The disadvantage of conducting a criminal background check is the fact that some states differ on how they define what constitutes a felony. Some states may classify one crime as a misdemeanor while other states may classify that same crime as a felony. It becomes more difficult to receive an accurate criminal background check if the applicant has lived in several states.

Some employers will check to see if applicants have committed any criminal offences.
Some employers will check to see if applicants have committed any criminal offences.

Despite the fact that most companies perform background checks on applicants, there are some industries where a background check is required by federal or state law. People who want to work with children, the disabled, or the elderly usually need to undergo a criminal background check. Those who want to become police officers, fire fighters, or correctional officers must receive criminal background checks as well. Other people who undergo these investigations include anyone who wishes to hold a public office or potential employees whose jobs involve having access to sensitive or confidential information.

Failure to pass a criminal background check can result in termination if a person has already been hired.
Failure to pass a criminal background check can result in termination if a person has already been hired.

If an employer does not routinely conduct this type of investigation and an employee commits a crime that harms coworkers, customers, or others, the company could be held liable. For this reason, most employers pay companies to research applicants’ histories. The high rate of crime in modern society and the constant fear of terrorism have made criminal background checks an inevitable part of life.

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    • Many employers will perform a criminal background check prior to hiring someone.
      By: Brian Jackson
      Many employers will perform a criminal background check prior to hiring someone.
    • Some employers will check to see if applicants have committed any criminal offences.
      By: andreykr
      Some employers will check to see if applicants have committed any criminal offences.
    • Failure to pass a criminal background check can result in termination if a person has already been hired.
      By: jivan child
      Failure to pass a criminal background check can result in termination if a person has already been hired.
    • The Federal Bureau of Investigation, or FBI, maintains criminal records databases.
      By: Orhan Çam
      The Federal Bureau of Investigation, or FBI, maintains criminal records databases.
    • Once someone is convicted of a crime, that conviction usually remains on their record.
      By: VIPDesign
      Once someone is convicted of a crime, that conviction usually remains on their record.
    • Criminal background checks might reveal a history of shoplifting.
      By: Steve Lovegrove
      Criminal background checks might reveal a history of shoplifting.
    • Those who work with the elderly are likely to undergo a background check.
      By: riccardo bruni
      Those who work with the elderly are likely to undergo a background check.