Criminal Records Check

Criminal Records Check

Criminal records check is one step of the procedure involved in due diligence research conducted
on individuals. And even though our age today is referred to as "the digital age", digitized
information may not be enough in performing a comprehensive criminal records check. Often,
old-fashioned "gum shoe" techniques are required and researchers find that more often than not,
they must rely on less technological means to do a criminal records check.

The "Nationwide" Criminal Records Check

We have heard about the so-called "nationwide" criminal records check and we have seen many
ads on Internet touting services where you could search through their "nationwide" database of
criminal records. Well, we hate to burst the bubble, but there is no such thing as a nationwide
criminal records check.

Only one criminal database in the United States comes pretty close to being considered as
"nationwide" and it is the FBI database, which is also known as the NCIC or the National Crime
Information Center. Even then, the FBI database is not considered as public record, which further
means that no one can legally access the information it contains unless that someone works for
criminal justice agencies.

Other Methods of Performing Criminal Records Check

So, what now? If you cannot access the FBI database, does this mean that there's no way for you
to perform your own criminal records check? On the contrary, there are thousands of separate
criminal indexes maintained at the county, parish, township, and city levels throughout the United
States. Nationwide criminal records check means accessing each individual index. Now,
obviously, this would be difficult to achieve. In addition, it would be time-consuming, expensive,
and simply not practical.

Statewide Criminal Records Check

Today, 29 states in the United States keep criminal records check repositories which are open to
the public. However, from a practical viewpoint, it is better to perform a criminal records check at
county level because it may take weeks and sometimes even months for the statewide index to
receive information from each county. Also, some criminal data report may not make it to the
statewide index, which renders it incomplete. The most thorough approach you can take therefore
in your criminal records check is to go through both the statewide index and at the county level in
the counties where the subject has lived.

County Level Criminal Records Check

County level criminal records check is the method used in most parts of the country. Some
counties maintain an index of both felony and misdemeanor records while others offer criminal
records check for each separate one.