Criminal background checks have become an important aspect of our society today. Employers, landlords, and even individuals who are curious about a person's history, conduct such checks to get some insight into an individual's past. Furthermore, criminal background checks allow organizations to make more sound and informed decisions about working with or renting a property to an individual. This article provides an overview of why criminal background checks are essential and how to get the best available ones.

What is a criminal background check?

A criminal background check is a process carried out to determine if an individual has been arrested or convicted of any criminal offense in the past. The standard method used to carry out a criminal background check is by cross-referencing an individual's details with criminal record databases held by government agencies.

Some commonly checked records include sex offender registries, police records, and other databases that track court convictions. The checks access information like court records, arrest records, police reports, jail or prison records, and more.

Why are criminal background checks important?

Criminal background checks are essential for various reasons. First, they are used to confirm an individual’s identity, employment, or rental history. Secondly, these checks can ensure that people working in sensitive professions like healthcare, childcare, or public safety are without any previous criminal records. These are industries where there is a need to ensure the safety of others. Criminal background checks help to ensure this.

Laws may also require certain professions regularly to check their workers' criminal record, and some may also carry out checks as part of standard business practices, such as when renting a property.

Moreover, employers have a duty of care to their staff and customers, so by carrying out background checks, they are helping protect them from any potential harm that may come from hiring someone with a criminal record.

How to get a criminal background check?

A variety of background check services are available in the market worldwide. You can either conduct a personal background check or hire a professional company. While hiring a professional company may seem the more straightforward option, this comes at a cost. Therefore, many individuals opt for personal checks.

A personal background check begins by obtaining the subjects’ consent. After that, their personal information is obtained, and the search begins. There are many sources of information one can use to conduct a background check, such as online public records, social media sites, or even visiting court buildings for more extensive criminal record searches.

Government agencies offer criminal record checks for submitting fingerprints. In this case, the government agency provides access to a person's criminal history using their fingerprints. This is considered to be the most thorough form of background checks. It involves an FBI database search and can take a few weeks or even months to obtain results due to the time-consuming process of obtaining fingerprints and the checks from multiple databases.

Top providers of criminal background checks?

There are many websites and companies offering criminal background checks online. The following are some top providers of criminal background checks:

Intelius: Intelius offers criminal checks and other personal information services. They provide a complete report containing information like criminal history, social media profiles, and contact information.

BeenVerified: BeenVerified provides a range of checks including criminal background checks. BeenVerified uses a simple interface to deliver the results quickly.

TruthFinder: TruthFinder is a leading background check service that provides detailed criminal records, phone numbers, and addresses of an individual. This service is also suitable for performing supporting checks required for individual qualifications, licenses, and registrations.

Conclusion

Criminal background checks provide an essential tool to ensure individual safety and consistency in the society of today. With the rise of various online tools, conducting such checks has become easy and efficient, whether for personal or professional purposes. It is always recommended to conduct thorough background checks before concluding any business deals, renting a property or hiring a person, as they can help provide confidence in your decision-making abilities. Remember, a careful background check can get you accurate information that can help you make an informed decision. A decision that can save you or your organization from financial, legal, or reputational losses.