Employment screening can take time depending on the type of verification an employer is running and other circumstances. While many employers want the quickest possible turnaround, it is more important to be both thorough and accurate in order to limit risk.
Obtaining criminal history is more involved than most understand. While some background checks are delayed due to backlogs at the county or state repository, other cases might be caused by incorrect or missing information. There are more than 3,500 individual court jurisdictions in the U.S. and each process is different. Some jurisdictions rely on paper records which are retrieved manually. Some background screening providers are not digitally integrated with the courthouses to access records. Instead, they have to send court runners to pick up the records, which could cause a delay in turnaround time.
Types of Criminal Record Checks
It’s important that when choosing the types of searches, you understand what’s included. While “instant” databases are quick and convenient, they might not be complete or compliant with FCRA guidelines. Instant databases simply do not provide the same level of detail as county criminal record checks based on address history and may not contain the most up to date information
There are many sources for companies to receive a complete picture of a candidate’s criminal history:
- County Criminal Records:
- State Criminal Records
- Federal Criminal Records
- Sex Offender Registry
How to get faster results.
AIS has over 2500 direct court interfaces that allows a faster, electronic records process. With access to millions of criminal records, continuous quality and compliance controls, delivers faster turnaround times on screening requests and improves overall accuracy by decreasing the opportunity for human errors.