By Jackson Page
A criminal background check is a way to find out if any person has a history of criminal activity. It doesn't matter what kind of activity - theft, murder, child molestation, rape, whatever. Any time someone has an encounter with the law after their 18th birthday, there is some kind of record of it. Depending on the level of investigation, people can find out where they committed the particular crime, and in the case of sex offenders and pedophiles who are required to register wherever they live, people can find out where they live and work.
Criminal background checks are not infallible. There are many different reasons for a check to be incorrect, whether with wrong information or the lack of information. For a couple of examples; if you have been the victim of identity left, and the person who was using your name committed crimes - guess what? You now have a record, until you can get it cleared. If you commit a recent crime, the infraction may take months to show up and be reported nationally. Sometimes it gets lost in the system and never gets reported.
Just because a person gets a criminal background check, and has some kind of record, doesn't always mean that person won't get hired for a job, or be able to rent an apartment or house. The first thing is that, if you know you have a criminal record, then it is a wise idea just to be up front with potential employers and landlords about it, especially if you are a changed person. Renters and bosses that conduct background checks don't always just toss you out because something comes up. Some of them may, but for the most part a good person will look over the record carefully, taking into account the seriousness of the crime, how long ago it occurred, and what your age was at the time of the offense. A good person will also compare the deeds of the past with the deeds of the present.
For an example, let's say that when you were young and stupid you robbed someone's house. You got caught, convicted, and sent to jail, you did your time, and now have been off parole for many years. In that time you have done as much as possible to redeem yourself, gone to college, tried to help others avoid the same situations, etc. Now you want to get a job where you may be in close proximity to valuable objects, like painting someone's house, or working for some other contractor or service. You had a problem in the past and have paid your debt to society and are now an outstanding member of the working class. This is something that your potential employer will certainly take into consideration.
The criminal background check may affect things like security jobs and working with children, the handicapped, or the elderly. It just really depends on the nature of the offense, and the person looking at it. These days, just about any person can do a general background check on any person they want to, you can even look up yourself online to see what these checks are saying about you.
Try it yourself - visit http://fullbackgroundcheck.org now to run a criminal background check on anyone.
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