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More people in the United States have criminal records than you may think. It will probably shock you to know that 25% of American citizens now have criminal records. That is one in four people that you come across in your daily life! There are probably going to be people in your life now that have criminal records you didn’t know about.

Should you be worried about this? Well in some cases it will be important and in others it won’t. You have to make that decision. Knowing that people you come across or know very well in your life that have a criminal record is not always easy. Not many people are going to openly admit to this.

Criminal Records Defined

An individual’s criminal record contains details of their convictions and arrests. It is a history of things that they should not of been doing owned by the government. Different agencies can create criminal records but usually it is the police, other law enforcement agencies and court clerks.

Public records are available to show criminal records. You can check to see if a United States citizen has one or not. There is a sequence of events that occurs with criminal activity. The first thing is the arrest of a suspect. Law enforcement will accuse the individual of a crime and then it will go to court.

The suspect will have the right to a defense attorney in court. If found guilty then they receive a criminal conviction. In the case of a first offense the county creates a criminal record for the individual. If they already have a criminal record then they will add the latest conviction. You will normally find criminal records available for public access.

What information will you discover in a Criminal Record?

Criminal record information varies from state to state. Usually you will be able to see a complete criminal history of a person which will probably include felonies, misdemeanors, any charges that are pending and charges that resulted in an acquittal.

It is important that you understand what all of the different terms mean. If a person commits a felony offense then this is serious and usually results in jail time. Misdemeanors are much lesser offences and although jail time is a possibility, community service or a fine is usually the outcome.

Then there are infractions. These are really minor offenses where jail time is very rare. A fine usually suffices with infractions. Most infractions do not end up in criminal records. If the infraction relates to driving a motor vehicle then this can appear on an individual’s driving record for example.

You may also discover that a person is a convicted sex offender. This is certainly something to worry about as sex offenders are very likely to repeat their crimes. Usually criminal records contain a lot of personal details and the courts where the convictions took place.

There is a difference between an arrest and a conviction for a criminal offense. When making an arrest it does not automatically mean that the person committed the crime. It just means that the police identified them as a suspect. There are a number of cases where arrests have not led to a conviction.

Why Checking Criminal Records Matters

You may think that you know certain people very well but some of them are likely to have secrets that they would rather you didn’t know. Having a criminal record is certainly one of those secrets.

As we have already discussed there are different types of offenses such as felonies and misdemeanors. If someone close to you has a felony conviction then this will disturb you more than if they have a misdemeanor conviction. In any case you have a right to know what they are not telling you.

Let’s say that you met someone new recently and you are really attracted to them. They have told you a wonderful story about their life and you just want more and more. You need to take a step back here and find out as much as you can about this wonderful new person in your life.

People lie about themselves for a number of reasons. A new romantic interest will want to impress you as much as possible. They certainly won’t be keen to reveal that they have a criminal record. But if they do have a record is that someone that you want to spend a lot of time with?

OK it does depend what they have done in the past. But by not telling you about their criminal record, however awkward is was for them, they have already lied to you. Find out everything you can and then decide what to do.

This is even more important when it comes to online dating. With a local person you can usually find out a fair amount about them just by asking around. But if someone is from another county or state then you do not have that option. There are many lies told online. Some do no harm at all but when it comes to relationships find out everything.

Can you really trust your neighbors? What do you really know about them? Do their kids play with your kids? You just never know what a neighbor has in store for you. If any of your neighbors have criminal records then you will want to be careful around them. This is particularly true if they have sex offender convictions.

Finding Criminal Records

Although many criminal records are in the public domain finding the information that you want is not always easy. Different states and even counties will hold criminal records. There are records kept at the federal level by the FBI.

There is also the notion that access to public criminal records is free. This is not usually the case. If you apply to agencies for access to records there is often a fee to be paid. It can take a great deal of time and effort to find criminal records. Visiting jurisdictions far from your home to get the details you need is also an expensive activity.

The good news is that there is an easy way to find criminal records in the United States. By using a credible online background check service you will have access to a lot of important information. You do not have to leave your home when using this kind of service either.

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