Performing an arrest records check on job employment candidates is easy, quick, and inexpensive. However, just because this information is readily available online doesn’t mean that it’s a good idea to base a hiring decision on nothing more than an arrest record.
As far as employability is concerned, an arrest really means nothing. Why? Because being arrested is entirely different than being criminally convicted of an offense. Not everyone who is arrested or charged with committing a crime is guilty. In fact, many people get arrested, only to be found not guilty later on. Our legal system is built around the notion that everyone is innocent until proven guilty. It would be a gross disservice to disqualify a candidate for employment on the mere accusation of having committed a crime, regardless of what the crime might be.
A Better Solution to Checking Arrest Records
In addition, the reality is that people make mistakes. Sometimes the wrong person is accused of committing a crime, and sometimes there is an unintentional misidentification of the person who supposedly committed the crime. Either of these mistakes will lead to the arrested individual being found not guilty. These are just two of the errors that can occur, and both illustrate that it is wrong to impute guilt simply on the basis of an arrest record.
A far better solution is to check the conviction records of a job candidate. The best advice we can offer is to check as many sources as possible, starting with court records in the candidate’s current county of residence and the county where he or she works. This will give you a much better idea of a candidate’s potential criminal record and criminal background. Then, perform a statewide database check and conclude the effort by checking the national criminal database. Remember, a candidate may have a clean criminal record in his current home county but have been convicted for all sorts of crimes in another county or state.
Criminal Checks That Barada Associates Performs
Searching county, state, and national databases take time and money. For a quicker and more cost-effective solution, trust Barada Associates for all of your company’s pre-employment background checks, including criminal history checks. We recommend criminal history checks as part of the overall background screening process.
During our criminal history checks of candidates, we review:
- County-level criminal records. Most criminal cases are prosecuted, and the records are stored at the county courts.
- State and nationwide criminal records. To increase the chance of finding convictions for job candidates, we use state and nationwide searches to expand the inquiry beyond the candidate’s county of residency to find any potential criminal record.
- Federal criminal records. We’ll search federal criminal records to broaden our overall criminal search even more.
- Sex offender registry. Most states provide services to check whether applicants are registered as convicted sex offenders.
Contact Barada Associates for Criminal Background Checks
Barada Associates assists companies in hiring employees who are good fits for the company’s culture and environment, as well as providing a safe work environment. Many employers call us for information on potential job candidates. From unpaid traffic tickets to more severe crimes, the experts at Barada will be able to catch any previous, current, or pending charges that your job applicants may have.
Whether you need help performing a background check, a reference check, or any other type of screening, we’re here to provide your company with any helpful information we can. For all of your company’s background screening needs, including extensive arrest record and criminal record checks, contact Barada Associates today to request a quote or set up a meeting.