County, State, and Federal Court Records
A thorough employee background check is a key component in the hiring process. Searching available records gives employers a full picture of a candidate before hiring them, ensuring he or she will be an honest, trustworthy, and competent employee.
However, there are many different types of records which can be checked as part of this process.
For example, you can search records for county, state, federal courts, or for some combination of these.
But how do you know what kinds of records to search?
The answer depends on the position you’re hiring for and what kind of information you need.
Here is a brief rundown of the three major types of court records you can search as part of a criminal background check.
What Is a County Court Criminal Search?
A county criminal court search examines any convictions or offenses that took place in county courts. The majority of offenses that you might find in a background check are recorded at the county level, so this check has the potential to yield a wealth of detail. The problem is knowing which county or counties to look at, as there are over 3000 counties in the U.S. At Veriswift, we use a variety of pointer searches to suggest and identify which county courts to check for each background check.
Many counties have now digitized most of their records, making them searchable online. However, some counties still use paper-only records. And in some cases, the assistance of a county clerk is required to access paper or digital court records.
County court records are useful for discovering sentences, pending criminal cases, dispositions, and misdemeanor/felony convictions.
What Is a Federal Court Criminal Search?
By searching federal court records, a background check can discover any crimes committed and prosecuted at the federal level. It’s less common than with county courts to find any results from a federal court criminal search, because crimes at this level are generally very serious. A search of federal court records is helpful if you’re looking for crimes prosecuted at the federal level such as embezzlement, bank robbery, or arson (just to name a few).
Even though chances are you won’t find anything, it’s still important to carry out a federal background check for the protection of your employees and customers, as well as of your assets.
What Is a State Court Criminal Search?
Employers can search statewide court records if they’re looking for criminal records of crimes prosecuted at the state level. In some states, a state court criminal search will also search all counties in the state but others only show state court records.
It’s important to note that each state has different rules, procedures, and restrictions regarding the use of state background checks. Some states require that these background checks include information from every county; but many others do not. For this reason, it’s a good idea to use a state background check alongside county searches. In some cases, the information from these reports will overlap with each other. In other cases, especially if a specific county is not connected to the state database, the county records will provide information that you won’t find at the state level.
Knowing when to use which type of records search can be confusing, not to mention time-consuming. Here at Veriswift, we can help you find the information that you need to flesh out a full picture of each candidate.