Maximize Criminal Coverage With Our Complete Package
Checkr’s background check packages are your foundation of criminal coverage across screenings. Learn more about our new “Complete” package, which offers maximum criminal search coverage across our most comprehensive databases.
The core of background checks: Criminal screenings
In almost every industry, a background check is a critical step in the pre-hire process. In addition to helping organizations meet compliance requirements, employers may use pre-employment background checks to help make more informed hiring decisions, mitigate risk to their business, and protect their organization against liability.
Background checks may confirm a candidate’s work history, professional licences, driving records, and more, but often the core of each background check is criminal history. When choosing what amount of criminal coverage is appropriate for a given check, there are a variety of factors to consider, such as:
- Level of seniority or responsibilities of the role
- Industry-specific requirements
- Desired thoroughness of check
… and more.
For some roles, especially those dealing with vulnerable populations, high-profile executives, or those responsible for company financials, the maximum criminal coverage available may be desired. For those such instances, we are excited to announce the launch of Checkr’s new Complete package.
Introducing the Complete package
Checkr’s “Complete” package (Checkr Complete Criminal) provides our most thorough criminal coverage, making it the top choice for customers looking for maximum searches across our most comprehensive databases. The Complete package contains all of the foundational screenings provided in our Essential package, plus federal and state criminal searches for additional thoroughness.
In adding these two additional databases, the Complete package expands coverage to help return records that would otherwise not be returned in a background check not including federal or statewide searches. Together, these additional searches may increase the number of records found by up to 15%, compared to our Essential package.
Federal criminal searches can expand coverage to additional types of crimes that would not be reported through other databases. These include federal offenses, such as:
- Fraud-related convictions like healthcare fraud, or medicare fraud
- Financial crimes like forgery, identity theft, counterfeiting, money laundering
- Child-related crimes such as kidnapping or the possession, production, or trafficking of child pornography
Federal searches uncover any applicable results within the past ten years. These crimes are tried in federal district courts, meaning they would not appear in results from other screenings that look for reports at the county level. Because these records wouldn’t otherwise be surfaced, federal searches are critical in ensuring comprehensive criminal coverage.
State criminal searches can expand coverage by returning potential records outside of the county where a candidate currently resides. The Complete package will look at a candidate’s previous seven-year address history, and conduct a state criminal search in any states where they have lived that have an available statewide database. Statewide searches expand coverage by searching for records outside of the specific counties a candidate has lived in, which can increase found records by up to 15%. Because candidates may have records outside of their current county, this can be a critical screening to increase overall coverage.
As always, we recommend customers add alias searches to any core background check package to ensure maximum coverage. Alias searches ensure that other names a candidate may use, in addition to their legal name, are searched across our databases, and that any records under those additional names are surfaced. Adding alias searches to our Complete package is the best way to ensure you are running maximum criminal searches with Checkr.
An important consideration
It’s important to note that not all statewide databases are created equally. Some states offer a court database that returns up-to-date records from counties, whereas some don’t offer a statewide database at all. Because candidates may have resided in multiple states, many customers choose to run statewide searches to increase their search comprehensiveness. When determining if the Complete package is right for you, it’s important to consult with your own legal counsel to determine if state criminal searches are a good fit for you and your candidates. For more information on state searches and which states don’t provide a statewide database, visit our Help Center.
Get comprehensive search coverage with Checkr
For customers who are hiring for high-profile roles, working with sensitive populations, or want to ensure they are running the most thorough criminal background checks available, the Complete package is a great place to start. As always, you can build onto this base package with any additional verifications or screenings required for your role or industry to create the right background check for you.
Customers can start using the Complete package today directly in your Checkr dashboard, or by reaching out to your account representative.
To learn more about the Complete package and how to mitigate risk with comprehensive background checks, join our webinar on Thursday, January 23rd.
Disclaimer
The resources and information provided here are for educational and informational purposes only and do not constitute legal advice. Always consult your own counsel for up-to-date legal advice and guidance related to your practices, needs, and compliance with applicable laws.
