Hiring a person with a criminal background can have severe consequences for your company. A person with a history of violence or assault can place other employees, managers and even clients at risk. A person with a history of theft, fraud or embezzlement can place organizational assets at risk.
Therefore, before entrusting your company’s resources, staff or clients with anyone, it is essential to conduct a thorough criminal background check on them. This is where our services come in handy.
At Crimcheck, our commitment is towards ensuring that our clients make the best hiring decisions possible. As such, we provide professional pre-employment criminal background checks to enable companies to make informed decisions.
Our criminal record checks are conducted by professional Investigative Consultants. These consultants are trained in unraveling the tricks applicants often use to hide their background information. They sift through a variety of records and documents to provide thorough, in-depth, detailed and holistic background reports.
Thanks to our 27+ years in the industry, we have perfected a system of providing high-quality background checks, within the shortest time possible, and in full compliance of the FCRA and other related legislations.
We conduct criminal background checks for different categories of offenses including misdemeanors, felonies and federal offenses. Each of these categories is briefly explained below:
Misdemeanors
A misdemeanor is a minor offense or wrong doing. Generally speaking, misdemeanors are considered less serious offenses. They are typically punishable by incarceration for less than one year or less. In most cases, misdemeanors are punishable by fines or community service. Incarceration is rare. Although, in a few states, some misdemeanors can carry two or even five year sentences.
At Crimcheck, we conduct misdemeanor record searches at an applicant’s city of residence. We search a number of sources including court records, public databases, and prison records, among others. We also conduct searches in the applicant’s previous areas of residence stretching up to seven years.
Felonies
A felony is generally considered a more serious offense than a misdemeanor. Felonies typically have punishments ranging from incarceration for one year up to life imprisonment. Felonies usually have classifications, depending on the severity of the offense.
In a few instances, the distinction between felonies and misdemeanors can vary from one state to another. What is considered a misdemeanor in one state can be considered a felony in another. For instance, in Illinois, stealing $500 is considered a felony, while in New York, it is considered a misdemeanor.
Crimcheck conducts felony record searches in the applicant’s district (typically county) of residence. We search district court records, public records (e.g. sex offender lists), county jail records, and other relevant records (e.g. DMV records). We conduct similar searches for other areas where an applicant has previously lived or worked.
Federal Offenses
A federal offense or crime is one which violates a federal statute (a law passed by the US Congress). Misdemeanors and felonies are typically violations of statutes which have been passed by the state legislature or local authority.
Federal offenses typically involve criminal activities which are national in nature. Examples include accounting fraud, counterfeiting, gun law violations, corporate crimes, computer hacking, health care fraud, etc. Searching local or state records seldom reveals federal crimes.
At Crimcheck, we conduct federal offense searches across a number of national information sources. These include criminal databases, the FBI database, federal court records, national sanction lists, national sex offender lists, and many others.
In the end, we produce a report detailing arrests, convictions, incarcerations and pardons for federal offenses and crimes. The reports can contain records stretching back up to seven years. This provides a holistic picture of an applicant’s background.
Criminal Background Checks – Terms to Know
ARD Program: The Accelerated Rehabilitation Disposition Program is exclusive to Pennsylvania. It is available to defendants who have committed a non-violent offense and have no prior convictions and focuses on rehabilitation. It is similar in nature to Deferred Adjudication in that the defendant must comply with all orders from the court including probation, supervision, community service and sometimes substance abuse treatment. After completion of the program, the case may be dismissed, resulting in a non-conviction, which cannot be used as a determining factor for hire.
Arrest: The taking or keeping of an individual in custody by legal authority in response to a criminal charge.
Conviction: The act of finding an individual guilty of a crime.
Criminal Records: Official records relating to a criminal case.
Deferred Adjudication: A type of plea deal where the case may be dismissed if the defendant complies with all orders of probation, treatment and community service. The case will result in a non-conviction and henceforth cannot be used as a determining factor for hire.
Dismissed: The final result of a case in which the charges have been completely dropped against the defendant. Cases which have been dismissed are treated as if they were never filed in the first place.
Disposition: The settlement of a case. Many times, the disposition will hold the final arrangement including whether the defendant was found guilty and sentencing information.
FCRA: The abbreviation for the Fair Credit Reporting Act which is a federal law that regulates consumer information in how it can be collected and distributed. All third party consumer reporting agencies must be compliant under the FCRA. For more information about FCRA compliance, download our eBook, 5 steps to ensure compliance with the FCRA.
Felony: A serious crime. Felonies are usually punishable by imprisonment for more than one year in prison.
Incarceration: Imprisonment
Jail: Local government’s detention center where individuals who are awaiting trial or those who have been convicted of misdemeanors are imprisoned.
Jurisdiction: A city, county or state.
Misdemeanor: A less serious crime which is usually punished by fines, penalties or a brief term in jail.
Prison: A state or federal facility of convicted criminals.
Why Use Crimcheck For Your Criminal Background Checks?
- Each criminal background check is customized according to your needs
- Criminal background checks are vetted: we fact-check, cross-reference and verify every bit of information which is returned by our criminal background searches.
- We provide customized reports: the criminal background checks which we provide are customized according to your needs.
- Background checks are FCRA compliant
- We are NAPBS Accredited: This means that we conduct background checks according to the highest industry standards
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