What Shows up on a Criminal Background Check

Why do so many people opt to conduct criminal background checks and in what circumstances do they opt to conduct these investigations? Well, a quick survey will tell you that most big companies or companies that deal in child care or other such sensitive fields find it is important to conduct criminal background checks to avoid any kind of problem later on.

It is important for some institutions to be very careful about the people they hire. For example, it can be quite a error of judgment if a child care institution hired someone who had a record for child molestation or pedophilia. In such cases, it is of prime importance to conduct a check on any prior criminal background.

There are many different options that you can use in order to conduct background checks.

There are many criminal records that state governments and offices allow access to, completely free of charge. But a lot of the information that is available to you may be blocked. In such a scenario, you may be forced to contact an organization or website that will allow you to conduct criminal checks.

While many websites claim to conduct 100% free checks, this is not completely true. For detailed information, you will need to shell out some cash. Another option that you can use is to contact the court house or the sheriff's office regarding information about the person in question.

Most websites that provide you with a synopsis of any criminal records collate the information from Federal Fugitive files, state criminal records, sex offenders database, parole records, and files from the Department of Corrections.

To access the information, you will need to supply details like the name of the person, their date of birth, their addresses, Social security number, and native country. If you conduct a search online, it is possible that you will obtain a lot more information than you bargained for.

Here is a list of all the information that generally shows up on a background check.

• Tax liens (state and federal)
• Bankruptcy records
• Court judgments (state and federal)
• National arrests
• Court warrants
• Felony and misdemeanors
• Past addresses, phone numbers, etc (for 20 years)
• Sex crimes

• Distinguishing body marks (scars, tattoos, moles, etc)
• Age and date of birth
• Previous roommates, acquaintances, or partners
• All known relatives (with phone number and address)
• Maiden name/alias
• Ownership of property details
• Ex-spouses or partners
• DMV information
• Work permits

Other than criminal records, there is other important information that employers seek. These checks show any prior warrants issued, employment history, legally-required drug tests, etc. It is important to know that the information that received will be from records across the nation, and not limited to the state.

It is important to understand to be cautious while conducting such a complete background check. The information that you receive may be of a personal kind and you do not want to take undue advantage of the information you possess. You need to be careful of intruding in someone's private life and breaking any laws in the process.