Free Criminal Background Check

Free criminal background checks are required for all types of personnel actions that involve sensitive positions such as new hires, transfers, promotions, reclassifications, changes in job duties that involves ‘sensitive category’.  Sensitive category is, for instance, those people who need to be in constant contact with children, elderly and disabled people.

Free criminal background check can be done online. Some sites offer ways for you to check the criminal record, if any, of your prospective employee or someone you want checked.  To get free criminal background check you can use a number of options. One, is the FBI files. The FBI has a data base of criminal records called the National Crime Information Center (NCIC).  Employers who require criminal background check can access this national data base directly or though the criminal record data bases maintained by the state attorney general.  But this record though is not available to all employers. Access to NCIC can be granted if the background investigation involves jobs that work with children, elderly or disabled.  If the job does not allow access to NCIC, you may need to hire a company to do the background investigation. This company can search as many court systems as you are capable of paying.  A number of these background check companies consult the data bases of information brokers that report on criminal records from several jurisdictions.  However, if you do not want to hire an outside company to do the criminal background check, you can request for the court records where the applicant may have lived.  Some jurisdictions provide court records in their websites for free criminal background check.  If not available, the files can be found at the courthouse. Access may be restricted if the case is sealed by the court. You can also conduct free criminal background check over the internet. But do make sure that these online companies that offer free criminal background check show compliance with FCRA.

It is important to note that there is no publicly-available central depository for criminal records.  In order to make your free criminal background check as comprehensive as possible you should at least check the subject’s country of residence then the state to which he belongs.  Then you can access the federal level criminal files.  Other ways you could have a free criminal background check is to access the U.S. Government’s Most Wanted List and World’s Most Wanted list on the internet.  You could also do an online free criminal background check in a state-by-state search on those who are in the sexual predators list.