Limitations of Criminal Background Checks

It is difficult for anyone to get through life in the United States without someone performing a background check on him or her at some point. When you apply for a job, request a line of credit, become a criminal suspect or apply for rent, the other party may require permission to run a criminal background check. For some people, this is a terrifying thought, for it lays bare past transgressions that are better forgotten, but there are certain limitations of background checks with which you should be familiar.

First, there are several different types of background checks. In most cases, the word applies to criminal background checks that look for felonies and gross misdemeanors. It is usually conducted through a computer database, and the other party must have written permission in order to conduct such a check, and usually requires your social security number, name and birth date to return accurate results.

The type of computer database used depends on the company conducting a criminal background check. There are hundreds of web sites on the Internet that offer extensive criminal history investigations for a fee, though many of them are incomplete and offer scant information even after paying a heft subscription fee. Furthermore, the information gleaned from a computer search is simply a faster way to search public records.

The advantage of a computer database is that they compile records from all over the country, rather than from one city or county or jurisdiction. For example, if you are pulled over for a speeding ticket, the police officer will run a criminal background check through his or her computer in the patrol car. However, he or she has access only to the records for his or her jurisdiction, and perhaps other jurisdictions through which it is partnered.