What Criminal Background Checks Are and How They Work

A criminal background check is a search through public records to find information about a person's criminal history. These checks look for arrests, convictions, court cases, and sometimes other legal matters. When someone runs a background check, they are searching databases that contain criminal records from local, state, and federal sources.

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Criminal background checks happen in many situations. Employers often run them before hiring someone. Landlords may check before renting an apartment. Licensing agencies check when someone applies for a professional license. Volunteer organizations check people who will work with children or vulnerable adults. Financial institutions may check as part of lending decisions. Courts sometimes order checks in family law cases.

According to the Society for Human Resource Management, approximately 96% of U.S. employers conduct criminal background checks on at least some job candidates. This is up significantly from the 1990s, when the practice was less common. The increase reflects growing awareness of workplace safety and risk management.

The records found in a background check come from several places. County court records contain information about arrests and convictions in that specific county. State repositories maintain criminal records reported by law enforcement agencies within that state. The FBI's National Crime Information Center (NCIC) database holds fingerprint records and criminal histories. Sex offender registries are public databases showing names and addresses of registered offenders. Court records, booking photos, and mugshots may also appear.

Not all records appear in every check. Some checks are limited to certain states or counties. Others look at national databases. The scope depends on what the person conducting the check ordered and paid for. A local check might only search one county's court records. A comprehensive multi-state check might search 20 or more states. A fingerprint-based check through the FBI provides more detailed information than a name-based search.

Practical Takeaway: Understanding that background checks pull from multiple sources helps explain why different checks might show different information about the same person. A check that only covers one state might miss a conviction that happened in another state. Knowing what type of check was conducted matters when understanding the results.

Types of Background Checks and What They Reveal

Criminal background checks come in several varieties, each revealing different types of information. The most common types include name-based searches, fingerprint-based searches, and multi-state searches. Each has different strengths and limitations.

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Name-based searches are the fastest and least expensive option. They search databases using the person's name, date of birth, and sometimes address. These checks search state criminal repositories and county court records. However, name-based searches can produce false positives—records for people with the same or similar names. They may also miss records if the name spelling changed, if a woman used a maiden name, or if records were not properly entered into databases. According to the Federal Trade Commission, name variations account for a significant portion of reporting errors in background checks.

Fingerprint-based checks are more accurate and thorough. They search the FBI's national fingerprint database using actual fingerprints rather than a name. These checks find records across all states because the FBI maintains records from every law enforcement agency in the country. Fingerprint checks are slower and more expensive than name-based searches. They require the person being checked to visit a location where fingerprints can be taken and scanned. Many government agencies, courts, and some employers require fingerprint-based checks when accuracy is critical.

Multi-state checks search criminal repositories in multiple states, typically between 7 and 50 states depending on the service. These are faster than fingerprint checks but more thorough than single-state searches. They work well for people who have lived in multiple locations. However, they still cannot catch everything because they only check selected states, not all 50.

Other specialized searches include: sex offender registry checks (limited to registered offenders in specific states); federal records searches (limited to convictions in federal courts); and international searches (available in some countries for those who have lived abroad). County court record searches focus on one specific county and are useful when someone has lived in one place for most of their life.

Records that appear vary by check type. Most background checks reveal felony convictions, misdemeanor convictions, and sometimes arrests. Arrests without convictions may or may not appear depending on state law and the type of check. Juvenile records are generally not included in most background checks due to privacy laws. Civil lawsuits, traffic tickets, and medical records typically do not appear in criminal background checks. Some states allow expungement or sealing of certain records, which means they may not appear even though they technically exist in court files.

Practical Takeaway: When understanding a background check report, it matters to know which type of check was conducted. A name-based search might miss records or include wrong people with similar names. A fingerprint-based federal check is more reliable but takes longer. Knowing the search method used helps interpret whether the results are complete or limited in scope.

What Records Can and Cannot Appear

Criminal background checks do not show everything in someone's legal history. Understanding what appears and what does not is important for interpreting results accurately.

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Records that typically appear in criminal background checks include: felony convictions (crimes considered more serious, such as theft, assault, or drug trafficking); misdemeanor convictions (crimes considered less serious, such as disorderly conduct or simple assault); arrests that resulted in conviction; and active warrants. Many background checks also include cases that are pending trial—meaning the arrest has happened but the case has not concluded yet. Some checks include arrests that did not result in charges if the arrest record was not formally dismissed or sealed.

Records that generally do NOT appear include: arrests that were dismissed or resulted in acquittal (not guilty verdicts), though this varies by state; juvenile records, which are sealed under law in all 50 states; expunged or sealed records, which are legally hidden from public view; arrests that are very old (some states allow certain misdemeanors to disappear after 7-10 years); traffic violations and parking tickets; civil lawsuits and judgments in small claims court; medical records; credit history; employment history; educational records; and intelligence agency files.

The rules about what can appear differ significantly by state. Some states allow arrest records to appear even if the charges were dropped. Others prohibit this. Some states remove misdemeanors from view after 5-7 years with no additional convictions. Others keep all records indefinitely. States like California and New York have restrictions on how old a conviction can be before a background check company cannot report it. Federal law generally prohibits reporting of convictions older than seven years for most purposes, though this rule has exceptions for certain jobs.

Expungement and sealing are legal processes that hide records. Expungement means the record is physically destroyed or sealed so thoroughly that it is treated as if it never existed. Sealing means the record is locked away and generally not accessible to the public. However, these processes vary by state. Someone might have an expunged record in one state but not in another. Federal crimes that are expunged may still appear in some background checks because not all systems communicate effectively. Additionally, certain employers—such as law enforcement, schools, and childcare facilities—may be allowed to see sealed or expunged records despite laws protecting them.

Common misconceptions about what appears include the belief that background checks show all arrests or that they show civil lawsuits. In reality, many arrests (those dismissed or acquitted) do not appear, and civil lawsuits are completely separate from criminal records and do not appear in criminal background checks. Another misconception is that background checks reveal pending criminal investigations. They do not—only arrests and charges that have formally entered the court system appear.

Practical Takeaway: When reviewing a background check report, remember that the absence of a record does not necessarily mean something did not happen. It may mean the charge was dismissed, the record was sealed, or the check did not search the right location. Similarly, a record appearing does not always mean what it might seem—the person might have been arrested but the case dismissed, which some states report and others do not.

How Information Gets Into Background Check Databases

Criminal information flows into background check databases through a chain of reporting from law enforcement and courts. Understanding this process helps explain why information may be incomplete, inaccurate, or delayed.

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The process begins when a person is arrested. Law enforcement agencies create a booking record containing the person's name, photograph, fingerprints, charges, and arrest date. This information gets entered into local law enforcement databases. If fingerprints are taken (which