40+ Criminal Background Information Companies

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This information index is designed to direct you to a public record vendor specializing in an information category you need.

The list below consists of criminal background information companies. All vendors are listed in alphabetical order along with and their web address.

A Criminal Background Check provides information people need to make intelligent, informed decisions about the individuals they allow into their lives. For example, a criminal background check can reveal pertinent information about the adults in children’s lives. An online background check includes information found in a public record search, including any relevant county records with the convenience of the internet. The process of going to the courthouse to perform a criminal background check, to look at county records as part of a public record search has changed with the rising prevalence and importance of the internet. Now the online background check has replaced the physical act of conducting a manual background check.

This particular list is part of an entire section of information provided on this website to do with various record information categories. The information categories are listed at the end of this post.

A Few Tips on Searching criminal records

All states have a central repository of criminal records of those individuals who have been subject to that state’s criminal justice system. The information at the state repository is obtained from local county, parish, and municipal courts as well as from law enforcement. Records include fingerprint files and files containing identification segments, and notations of arrests and dispositions. Although usually housed in the Department of Public Safety, often is the State Police or other state agency that maintains the central repository.

Most states make this repository available to the public, but there is a high degree of non-uniformity regarding what information is released and to whom. Consider the following:

- 21 states release criminal records to the general public without consent of the subject;
- 20 states released criminal records to the general public with a signed release from the subject;
- 16 states required statutory authority to access their records.

For those who are quick with math (57 states?), please note that some states have two types of criminal records they release.

By far, the vast majority of criminal records used (outside of law enforcement) are used for employment purposes, generally referred to as pre-employment screening or background checks.

criminal records and Pre-employment Screening

A background screening is not meant to stop an individual who has a criminal record in the past from being hired. The purpose of a background screen or background check is to enable employers to verify the information presented by job applicants, determine if applicants are being truthful about their past, and really are they say they are (not someone with a false ID or even a terrorist).

State and federal laws are very strict about what employers can and cannot ask or use when making hiring decisions. The following statistics pertaining to state restrictions on criminal record use by employers:

- 19 states prohibit the use of arrest records (i.e., non-conviction records);
- 5 states prohibit the use of misdemeanor convictions;
- 13 states prohibit the use of expunged or sealed records;
- 4 states restrict the use of records based on time periods;
- 2 states limit the use of first offense records.

The federal regulations concerning the use of criminal records by employers come from the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA). If you are an employer, ordering criminal records on potential employees, or a pre-employment screening company, it is imperative that you become familiar with this law.

According to Derek Hinton, author of the criminal records Manual, “. . . there are three main areas in which the FCRA can affect an employer ordering criminal records:

- Releases: with notifications must be made and permissions granted from the subject of the search.
- Arrest vs. convictions, seven-year rule: What information can appear on the report, and what must be suppressed.
- Aged public record for employment purposes: When the vendor databases records, what additional notifications to the subject must be performed.”

National criminal record Search

“Ah ha,” you may say, “. . . There is no need to search the state and county agencies. I can find a national criminal record search on the Internet for as little as $15.00.”

If you are an employer and rely on such a search as your sole criminal record check, you could very well be exposing your company to a negligent hiring lawsuit. The reality is that there is no such database available to the public. End of story.

Alacourt.com
Appriss, Inc./ VineLink
Background Check Information
Backgroundchecks.com
Background Information Services, Inc.
Background Records Search
CaseClerk.com
ChoicePoint, Inc.
Circuit Court Express
CoCourts.com
Confi-Chek
Court PC of Connecticut
CourtSearch.com
Criminal Information Services, Inc.
Data-Trac.com, USCrimsearch.com
DCS Information Systems
Doxpop

iDocket.com
InsightAmerica
Judici
MegaCriminal Database
Merchants Association - MAF
Motznik Information Services

OPENonline
Oso Grande Technologies, Inc.
Querydata.com
Rapidcourt.com - NC Recordsonline.com
Rapsheets.com
Search Company of North Dakota, LLC.
Tenstar Business Services Group
Tracers Information Specialists, Inc.
TransUnion Vantage Data
US SEARCH.com
USIS Commercial Services
Virtual Docket, LLC.
XPOFACT

Here is a current list of all the categories of public & private record information companies provided on this site:
- Address and Telephone Numbers
- Aviation
- Bankruptcy
- Corporate/ Trade Name Data
- Credit Information
- ConvictedCriminal Information
- Driver and/ or Vehicle
- Education/ Employment
- Environmental
- Foreign Country Information
- Genealogical Information
- Licenses/ Registrations/ Permits
- Litigation/ Judgments/ Tax Liens
- Military Service
- Patents
- Real Estate/ Assessors

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