Absolutely Free Criminal Checks

When a new job position opens up in a company, about 11% of job applicants have a criminal history that includes armed robbery. In these trying times, paying for a criminal background check is not in an organizationÕs budget. Although they are hard to find, there are some sources for absolutely free criminal background checks. In order to protect your organization, try out these sources for your background check needs.

County of residence website

Depending on where the applicant lives, some counties offer a court database in their website. In the database, you can search for the personÕs legal name. The information in these databases varies from county to county. Some counties offer very vague information while others are more comprehensive.

Third party online vendors

The internet is another place to look for free criminal background checks. They are hard to find because it takes time, effort and money for third party vendors to collect public records from all around the nation, set up a website, maintain a database and train employees. Overall, they are not going to provide their service for free. However, some companies do give out a free trial period as a temporary promotion. With a free trial period, you usually still need to provide a credit or debit card number to sign up. When you find a free trial offer, remember to find and read the cancellation instructions. Sometimes companies make it hard to find the disclaimer, which is usually in the FAQ or terms-of-agreement section of the website.

Local court office

The local court office makes some records available to the public. Some individuals qualify for record sealing, so their records are not available to the public. Also, juvenilesÕ records are not available to the public. Registered sex offendersÕ records are readily available to the public.

These sources are readily available if you do not have the budget for criminal background check fees. Although it takes time to go through these resources, the safety of your organization is at stake if you hire a person with a criminal background.

About 11% of job applicants have a criminal history that includes armed robbery