Need for Criminal Record Checks

Employees with criminal histories are considered to be the greatest risk to any organization, because they present a clear danger to employees and company assets. In today's world the crime rate is growing and this increases the chance of a prospective employee having a criminal background. Therefore, it becomes crucial for companies to screen prospective employees. It is not difficult to imagine scenarios where employees perform functions such as cash handling, driving company vehicle, visiting customers' homes, etc. The financial implications that may arise from such situations could prove disastrous and are a direct consequence of bad hiring decisions. Poor, dangerous, and costly hiring decisions can be avoided by properly screening all applicants.

More and more organizations are beginning to realize the importance of criminal screening. Businesses employ criminal records check during the pre-employment screening process to protect itself from costly lawsuits and possibility of a tarnished reputation. A survey of human resource employees states that such checks greatly reduce negligence and retention lawsuits. Besides this, criminal record screening plays a crucial role in protecting the interests of current employees, customers, and the general public from prospective employees with criminal and sometimes violent histories. In many cases, employers are beginning to feel morally as well as legally obligated to protect their employees, assets, and community from a dangerous hire.

Criminal screening should include social security number trace, criminal county record search, federal criminal court search, national criminal database search, and sex offender search. The combination of these searches would ensure a comprehensive screen and cover all bases, so to speak. Since most of the information is public, they can be obtained for free. There are a number of websites that offer free criminal searches but the integrity and reliability of the database used in questionable. Moreover, the information provided is very basic and does not provide greatly detailed information. A more appropriate method would be to search via records available at county courts and national criminal databases. Social security number (SSN) trace is preferred over other means because it would highlight all pertinent information related to that particular SSN. This would help in tracking down crimes registered under aliases, which would otherwise be impossible.

The fact that more and more organizations are using criminal background checks should not be taken as an indicator for people not being trustworthy. However, employers should take every measure to ensure that the hired person has a clean record and is trustworthy. Any negligence on the part of the employer could endanger a safe work environment. Organizations should exercise due diligence during the selection procedure by paying attention to each and every detail. Employers are often amazed at the number of applicants come back with records after a professional and thorough screen has been conducted, and it reinforces their need for criminal record checks.