Federal Criminal Record Background Checks

When considering a thorough criminal background check, employers should consider checking their candidates for criminal convictions in the Federal Courts. While conducting a criminal record search at the county level is a best practice, this method will not reveal any convictions that have been prosected at the Federal level. And true, relative to crimes prosecuted locally, only a miniscule number of crimes are prosecuted federally. However, if you seek to cast the widest net possible, this search is recommened. The most common crimes found at this level are white-collar in nature or those criminal activities that take place across state lines. Much like the county courts, our Federal judicial system is segmented into different regional jurisdictions. These jurisdictions are referred to are "districts". Federal criminal record searches are conducted by checking the federal districts where your applicant has lived over the past 7-10 years.

While everyone can benefit from this type of search, it is typically utilized for higher level executives, employees with access to company financial records and, or those in sensitive industries such as financial institutions. If you are considering this type of search, understand that there is one drawback. Federal records are often name-only matches that require a great deal of follow-up in order to conclusively determine that they belong to the subject of a search. This process can take up to two weeks to determine, and can no doubt delay your hiring decision. This is a drawback to be considered, but shouldn't eliminate this important facet of a background check if the information found can save you from making a blind hiring decision.

More information about Federal Criminal Records checks can be found at www.employeescreen.com/preservices.asp