How Does a Criminal Record Check Work?

Criminal records are basically a list of all convicted offenses a particular individual has and generally include both federal and state offenses. However, a person’s criminal record can change over time. This happens when a criminal offense is expunged from the record or when a misdemeanor is taken off after a set amount of time.

Criminal records accessible to the United States public contain only convicted crimes, but a few countries also include open warrants, crimes in deposition, and even crimes an individual has been acquitted of.

Elements of a Criminal Record

Criminal records contain all convicted major federal and state offenses. Typically, minor misdemeanors are expunged from the criminal record seven years post-conviction and any probationary period. In some cases, major traffic offenses such as a DUI or other serious violations will be included on a criminal record. Criminal records are maintained in their entirety by a federal agency known as the National Crime Information Center (NCIC).

Why Check Criminal Records?

There are a number of reasons why a person or organization would want to perform a criminal record check. For instance, a law enforcement agency may want to run a criminal record check while performing an investigation.

Another common reason that someone would perform an online criminal record search is as part of a routine background check. Background checks are performed for a variety of reasons such as when working for any government agency or when you are in a position that deals with children.

Who Can Perform a Criminal Record Check?

While criminal records are only maintained by official government agencies and partners, anyone can request access to specific public records. And with the advent of the internet, getting ahold of criminal records is easier than ever. All you have to do is search for a person on PeopleFinders using the information you already know about them—this includes name, city, address, phone number, and social security number—and we will take care of the rest.

So do not delay your criminal records search any longer. Get fast, accurate data right now by performing a criminal record check on PeopleFinders.com.