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Illustration showing a criminal background check

Criminal Background Check

Criminal Background Check For Employment

Criminal background checks help you make informed decisions and build a trustworthy team.

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Trust & Safety

Why National Criminal Background Checks Are Important

A comprehensive criminal background check helps you build a team you can trust, while also mitigating risk and protecting your company’s reputation. Using criminal record background checks during your hiring process helps you:

  • Minimize risk and create a safe, secure workplace
  • Safeguard assets, employees, and customers
  • Protect your organization against liability claims
  • Maintain your organization’s reputation and trust within the community
  • Make fair decisions for fair chance hiring
  • Comply with federal, state, local, and industry regulations
  • Develop public safety and security
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7 YEARS

is the standard scope, but older records are reported if they are readily accessible and legally reportable.

Results

What You’ll Learn From Criminal
Background Checks

A criminal history record helps you make an informed decision about your candidate and assess any risks associated with bringing someone with a criminal record onboard. Searching national, federal, state, and county databases in the United States can reveal a candidate’s criminal history information, including any:

  • Felony criminal convictions, including murder, rape, kidnapping, arson, theft (values larger than $500), and aggravated assault
  • Misdemeanor criminal convictions, such as vandalism, trespassing, public intoxication, disorderly conduct, prostitution, and theft (values less than $500)
  • Pending criminal cases

A criminal record check may also report history of incarceration as an adult, arrests pending prosecution, active warrants, and infractions.

Illustration of a candidates criminal record check

Search Options

GoodHire’s Suite of Criminal Background Checks

GoodHire offers several types of national criminal background checks. Our intelligent technology platform links candidate records using aliases, Department of Corrections records, dates of birth, and other identifiers to create more complete profiles. This approach enables us to deliver more accurate and comprehensive candidate results. The following table shows the criminal records searches we offer, what they’re best used for, and different search options.


Nationwide Criminal Databases Records Search*

SEARCHES

Thousands of jurisdictions for state and local crimes.

BEST USED

Identify criminal jurisdictions. Good first step.

SEARCH OPTIONS

Add aliases used.
Monthly Ongoing Alerts.*

* Ongoing Alerts: For extra reassurance, GoodHire offers monthly continuous monitoring through the Nationwide Criminal Databases Search so you can be alerted to relevant changes in your employees’ records and stay informed.


Federal Criminal Court Records Search

SEARCHES

U.S. district and appellate courts for federal crimes.

BEST USED

Financial or sensitive information handling jobs.

SEARCH OPTIONS

Add aliases used.


County Criminal Court Records Search

SEARCHES

County courts for cases with their charge, disposition and sentence.

BEST USED

Most comprehensive, accurate check.

SEARCH OPTIONS

7 or 10 year history.
Select which counties to search. Add aliases used.


Statewide Criminal Records Search

SEARCHES

State courts, police & law enforcement records.

BEST USED

Complements county searches. Required by some industries.

SEARCH OPTIONS

Add aliases used.
Select which states to search.


Sex Offender Registry Searches

SEARCHES

Multi-state registry.

BEST USED

Especially when working with vulnerable populations.

SEARCH OPTIONS

Add aliases used.


Watch List Search

SEARCHES

Domestic (and international) government sanctions and watch lists.

BEST USED

Public sector, security, sensitive information positions.

SEARCH OPTIONS

Domestic or Global.


International Criminal Records Search

SEARCHES

Records in any of 223 countries.

BEST USED

US workers with foreign backgrounds.

SEARCH OPTIONS

Country lived or worked.


RCMP Criminal Records Check
(Contact Sales)

SEARCHES

RCMP’s Canadian Police Information Centre

BEST USED

Canadian residents.

SEARCH OPTIONS

Verifies accuracy of disclosed convictions.


Resources

More Information About Criminal Background Checks

Illustration of scales of justice weighing Felony and Misdemeanors

Felonies vs. Misdemeanors vs. Infractions On A Criminal Background Check

When reviewing a criminal background check, it’s important to understand how offenses are categorized by relative severity, class or level.
Read Now
A woman sitting at her desk thinking about how to read a background check

How To Read A Background Check: A Guide For Employers

What terms appear on a criminal background check, and how should employers read them? Learn how to read and understand them in a few simple steps.
Read Now
A judge gavel and person writing a disposition vs sentencing

Disposition vs. Sentencing: What Is The Difference?

Disposition and sentencing relate to the outcome of a legal case, but each term refers to a different aspect of the process. Find out what these terms mean on a background check.
Read Now
A guide to federal background checks

Federal Background Checks: A Complete Guide

Before bringing aboard a new employee, particularly someone in a position where they’re handling finances, you may want to conduct a federal criminal background check.
Read Now
A guide to state background checks

State Background Checks: A Complete Guide

A state criminal background check provides valuable insight into a candidate’s criminal history to enable employers to make better hiring decisions.
Read Now
A guide to county background checks

County Background Checks: A Complete Guide

A county criminal background check provides results about a candidate’s criminal history at the county level, enabling employers to make more informed hiring decisions.
Read Now
A guide to national background checks

National Background Checks: A Complete Guide

The results of a national criminal background check show an overview of a candidate’s criminal history using public records data from states and counties across the country.
Read Now

Compliance

What You Need To Know When
Reviewing Criminal Search Results

Employers using a Consumer Reporting Agency (CRA), like GoodHire, to run a criminal history record check to assess candidates during the hiring process have important responsibilities to ensure a fair and respectful process for the candidate, and to comply with various laws and regulations that govern employment screening. Find out how GoodHire’s built-in tools and workflows help you stay compliant.

Federal Fair Credit
Reporting Act (FCRA)

When the results of a criminal records search prompts a decision to deny employment, the FCRA requires employers to follow specific adverse action steps.

Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) & Title VII

The EEOC offers recommended guidelines to conduct individualized assessments so employers can make fair, informed decisions.

Ban The Box & Fair Hiring Laws

A patchwork of state, county, and city laws move the criminal history inquiry until later in the hiring process. These laws may apply based on both the employers’ and candidates’ locations. Further, some local laws may also have specific requirements for the adverse action process.

Your Organization’s Hiring Policy

If your business is conducting background checks, your hiring and screening policies should be consistent and compliant to prevent discrimination and avoid litigation and enforcement from federal agencies.

Interested in learning more about criminal records checks? Download “All About Criminal Records” and dig into the details.
Learn everything you need to know about the FCRA, EEOC, and ban-the-box in our compliance guide.

Types of Searches

Common Types Of Criminal Record Searches

Nationwide Criminal
Databases Search

Searches 850 million records from thousands of jurisdictions in the United States to report crimes prosecuted in state and local courts, including Department of Corrections, Administrative Office of Courts and state, county and township courts.

Federal Criminal Court Search

Searches the U.S. Federal Government’s PACER criminal record system, a national index for U.S. district, and appellate courts, to report crimes that are prosecuted under federal criminal law in federal courts such as tax evasion, fraud, embezzlement, identity theft, interstate trafficking, and kidnapping.

County Criminal Court Search

Searches county courthouses to find any convictions and pending cases including DUI, DWI, assault, theft and burglary. Searches are available for all 3,200 county courthouses in all 50 states. Since many counties have not digitized their court records, professional court runners search these county court records.

Statewide Criminal Records Search

Searches state level criminal records from sources including State Judicial Court System, State Police, State Department of Law Enforcement, Administrative Office of the Courts for infractions, misdemeanors, and felonies. Since some states don’t include complete county history, county-specific searches are recommended to ensure thorough results.

Sex Offender Registry Search

Searches registries across all states to uncover where a candidate may be currently registered as a sex offender.

Domestic Watch List Search

Searches U.S. government sanction and watch lists, including the FBI’s Most Wanted and the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC). Learn about our sources.

Global Watch List Search

Searches international sanction and watch lists, including INTERPOL Most Wanted list and the European Union terrorism list. Learn about our sources.

International Criminal Records Search

Searches a foreign country’s criminal records for candidates with international backgrounds who are working in the U.S. Each of 223 countries has its own application checklist detailing required information, forms and turnaround times.

Using criminal background checks
during your hiring process is
a smart move.

Get Started

Criminal Background Checks: What You Need To Know

Employers and volunteer organizations may use a criminal background check service to assess whether a candidate is honest, trustworthy, or may potentially pose a threat to others. Screening may also help protect company assets, mitigate risk, and avoid potential negligent hiring lawsuits.

Table of Contents

Click a topic to scroll directly to it.


  • Introduction
  • What is a criminal background check?
  • What shows up on a criminal background check?
  • How do criminal record checks work?
  • Get a criminal background check
  • What are the safest places in each US state?
  • Disclaimer

Introduction

A criminal history check is generally included in a pre-employment or employment background check—a legal investigation into a person’s past that helps inform decisions about whether to hire, promote, contract with, or use a person’s services. Depending on the type of criminal background check selected, a criminal record check may search national, federal, state, and county databases to provide information about a candidate’s criminal history.

In this article, we’ll take a closer look at what you need to know about criminal history check information.

What is a criminal background check?

A criminal background check may search national, federal, state, and/or county criminal court databases to report information about a candidate’s criminal history, such as felony and misdemeanor criminal convictions, and any pending criminal cases.

Different types of criminal record checks may reveal different offenses, depending on the court record that is searched. For example, a search of one state’s criminal records database will only report criminal activity in that selected state’s criminal court system. However, employers may choose to search multiple states and counties based on where the candidate has lived, or if a nationwide search reveals criminal activity in more than one state.

Get A Background Check Today

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GoodHire's background check platform makes it easy to order reports and review results.

What shows up on a criminal background check?

The information that shows up on a criminal background check can include felony and misdemeanor criminal convictions, and any pending criminal cases. Criminal background checks may also report history of incarceration as an adult, active warrants, and infractions. Infractions may only be reported if they are within the last seven years.

An arrest that did not lead to convictions may appear in some background checks as long as they are within the last seven years; GoodHire excludes them in its screenings to conform to Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) guidelines.

Criminal background checks may also include a Sex Offender Registry check, which searches registries across all states to report where a candidate may be currently registered as a sex offender.

Some time limitations, based on state and federal laws, determine what can be reported legally on an employment background check. Learn more about how far back background checks go.

It’s important to understand how to read a background check, and what the different terms and abbreviations mean. A criminal history report includes the name of the crime, disposition (conviction, non-conviction, or pending), and disposition date. GoodHire does not report non-convictions.

Following are examples of the types of records that may show up on a criminal history check:

Type of RecordExamples
Felony Criminal ConvictionsMurder, manslaughter, rape, kidnapping, arson, theft (values larger than $500), and aggravated assault
Misdemeanor Criminal ConvictionsVandalism, trespassing, public intoxication, disorderly conduct, prostitution, and theft (values less than $500)
Infractions or Violations* Jaywalking, littering, drinking in public, disturbing the peace, boating violations, building permit violations

Petty offenses that are typically punishable by fines but not jail time, and are not considered criminal offenses. Depending on the jurisdiction, infractions may or may not show up on a criminal history record, but under federal law they may only be reported if they are within the last seven years.

There are many different types of background checks, each of which uncovers somewhat different personal background information. It’s important for both employers and job candidates to understand what kind of information is included in each type of background check, and how that information can be used.

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GoodHire's background check platform makes it easy to order reports and review results.

How do criminal record checks work?

Typically, after a conditional offer is extended to a job candidate, it is the hiring manager’s responsibility to order a criminal record check as part of a comprehensive pre-employment check. 

If the employer is using a CRA, the applicant will be asked to provide their name, date of birth, and Social Security number, as well as give consent, as required by the FCRA. The CRA uses an individual’s personal identifying information to search public record criminal databases at the county, state, national or federal level to find any criminal records associated with the individual in the criminal justice system. 

If a match is found, the CRA takes additional steps to ensure maximum possible accuracy before the candidate’s report is delivered to the employer who ordered it. 

Get a criminal background check

If you’re ready to conduct a background check on one or more employees, you’re in good company—95% of employers use employment background screening as part of their hiring process.

GoodHire makes employment screening easy. Our user-friendly dashboard, intuitive workflows, and built-in compliance tools help simplify the background screening process. Let us know how many checks you need, provide some information about your company, then select the pre-bundled package that fits for your needs. 

All of our pre-bundled packages include a Nationwide Criminal Databases search and Sex Offender Registry search. We also offer options to customize your background checks with add-on searches, such as Motor Vehicle Record (MVR) checks, Education Verification, and Employment Verification, for a more complete background check.

Employers that use a background check company, such as GoodHire, to run a pre-employment background check must follow federal, state, and even local laws that regulate employment screening. The federal Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) sets out requirements for consumer reporting agencies (employment screeners like GoodHire), as well as rules that the employers who use the reports must follow.

GoodHire’s background check platform is flexible and easy to use. We offer criminal background checks, driving record checks, employment verifications, and much more.
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What are the safest places in each US state?

Employment background checks are an important piece of the hiring process and can help you build a team of people that are trustworthy, reliable and professional. Most background checks include a criminal history check, which searches criminal court databases to report information about a candidate’s criminal history. Gaining access to a candidate’s legally reportable criminal records helps you make informed hiring decisions. 

A criminal background check may also be important based on the areas in which your organization is hiring. Crime rates in places across the country vary and you may wish to take this information into account. 

To help businesses understand the importance of criminal background checks, GoodHire analyzed crime data to uncover the safest place in each state in America as well as top US places with the least amount of property, violent, and society crime. 

To conduct the analysis, GoodHire reviewed FBI Crime Data – property, violent, and society crime – and ranked each place by its rate of offenses per 1,000 people for each of the three offense types. GoodHire then assigned a total rank that weighted crimes against persons and crimes against property at 40% and crimes against society at 20% to showcase the safest places in each state and help business owners see the importance of criminal background checks. 

Now, let’s get into the key findings to learn more about the safest places in each state in America. 

The graphic above shows the safest place in each state in America, based on crime rates for the three major crime types. These places, all with a population of 30,000 or more, are highly rated for all three crime types and should be viewed as exceptional places for those looking for a safe environment to live, work, and hire. 

While the overall rankings combine property, violent and society crime rates, some places standout for their excellence in certain areas. 

Dothan, AL, Arlington, MA, Oswego, IL, Independence Township, MI, and Johns Creek, GA rank at the top with the lowest property crime rates among the list of the safest places in each state. 

Additionally, Wallingford, CT, Sammamish, WA, Mason, OH, and Zionsville, IN all boast a violent crime rate of fewer than two offenses per 1,000 people. These areas all rank at the top for the least amount of violent crime among the safest places in each state.  

Finally, when it comes to society crime (defined as crimes against society or victimless crimes, e.g., gambling, prostitution, and drug violations), a few of the safest places by state again stand out from the rest. Montclair, NJ, Arlington, MA, Sammamish, WA, Wallingford, CT and Johns Creek, GA all showcase some of the lowest society crime rates in the country among the other safest places in each state. 

Now, let’s get into the key findings to learn more about the safest places in each state in America. 

While it’s important to understand how combining the three major crime types can reveal the safest places in each state, it’s also useful for businesses and organizations to know which places are most likely to showcase the lowest rates for each different type of crime outside of the safest places in each state list. Understanding this data can reveal geographical crime trends that may be helpful to businesses as they look to hire employees, purchase or lease office space, and make other important corporate decisions. 

In terms of property crime, the data reveals that Dothan, AL, Franklin, MA and Little Elm, TX are the three places in America with the lowest property crime rates. 

The data also reveals a specific trend as Massachusetts and Michigan are each home to three of the top ten places with the lowest property crime rates in America. 

Those places include Franklin, MA, Arlington, MA, Amherst, MA, Orion Township, MI, Independence Township, MI, and White Lake Township, MI.

Next, as we take a look at violent crime, we see that Westfield, NJ, Wallingford, CT, Upper Arlington, OH, Greenwich, CT and Glastonbury, CT are the top five places with the lowest violent crime rates in America.

The state of Connecticut is the big winner in terms of low violent crime rates as it is home to three of the top ten safest places for violent crime in America. 

Those places include the aforementioned Wallingford, CT, Greenwich, CT and Glastonbury, CT. 

Edina, MN, Sammamish, WA, Mason OH, Zionsville, IN and North Andover, MA round out this top ten list. 

The list of the places with the lowest society crime rates (again defined as crimes against society or victimless crimes, e.g., gambling, prostitution, and drug violations) showcases a major trend of safety in America’s Northeast region. 

Brookline, MA, Colonie Town, NY, North Attleboro, MA, Lexington, MA and Brighton Town, NY are the five places with the lowest society crime rates in America. 

Rounding out the top ten are Montclair, NJ, Arlington, MA, Sammamish, WA, Wallingford, CT and Westfield, NJ. 

Lastly, let’s take a look at the full rundown of the safest places in each state in America.

For more information on GoodHire’s research or to request graphics for this study, please contact press@goodhire.com.  

Report Methodology

To rank America’s safest places by state, GoodHire analyzed the most recent FBI Crime Data using the National Incident-Based Reporting System Tables for places with a population of 30,000 or more. The data was analyzed based on property crime, violent crime, and society crime. Each place was ranked by its rate of offenses per 1,000 people for each of the three offense types and was then assigned a total rank which weighted crimes against persons and property at 40% and crimes against society at 20%. Florida and Alaska did not report crime data to the FBI Crime Data Explorer, and because of this, those two states were not included in this analysis. 

Disclaimer

The resources provided here are for educational purposes only and do not constitute legal advice. We advise you to consult your own counsel if you have legal questions related to your specific practices and compliance with applicable laws.

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