Background checks

I can tell you this.. Background checks are in my opinion one of the biggest hinderences in todays society. I personally have a FELONY for a non violent, non drug, non theft crime. (i was stupid and didnt pay child support) but that stops me from getting a Job where i am happy, or even mildly content. If the US wants to have better employment rates then these big corps need to relax the reins a little bit and take a look at what it was for and the circumstances a little bit better. Not just saying "Oh hey you have a (insert level of conviction here) you cant work here". just my two cents.

reply to post by Bibliomaniac


i paid for a CORI check to be a volunteer on a DART team.(Disaster Animal Response Team).

many organizations now require criminal background check to be a volunteer.

reply to post by thisguyrighthere


You're right that it can't absolutely predict how someone will behave in the future...
But it seems more centered around the past -- past can (not always..but can) help predict the future, no?

Originally posted by MachiventaMelchizedek
in the current police state we all now live in, i dont know anyone without some sort of criminal history. I dont know the world the rest of you live in, but in mine almost everyone i know has had some interaction with the local police.

Must be the company you keep. Everyone I know - personally know - has absolutely no record minus some speeding tickets. I tend to not hang around those with criminal histories though.

reply to post by AbandonFaieth


Isn't it ironic how applications will say that disclosing the information does not automatically exclude you from the position...because I'm pretty sure it does.

Good luck.

Originally posted by Bibliomaniac
reply to post by thisguyrighthere

 

You're right that it can't absolutely predict how someone will behave in the future...
But it seems more centered around the past -- past can (not always..but can) help predict the future, no?

No more than a check can predict the future.

Like in the post at the top of this page. Felony for child support payments. What does that predict with any certainty? Maybe an employer could see financial trouble and conclude the applicant has a history of financial irresponsibility. At the very least a single instant of financial irresponsibility. Depending on the job and how long ago it occurred and the applicants references that issue ranges from 0-3 on a "seriousness" scale.

But the employer just sees "felony" and stops right there.

I'll grant that recidivism for certain crimes is high. But we must consider the whole of the "justice" system's affect on those rates. Would they be so high with humane penalties? With methods other than locking lunatics into a compound? Without scarlet lettering offenders for life?

Recidivism is high but the system isnt exactly doing anything to change that. In many ways the system is encouraging recidivism by limiting opportunities and subjecting non-violent or first time offenders to the company of full blown psychopaths 24/7.

Using the past as a predictor of the future doesnt work so well with human behavior. Certainly on a simple motor response Pavlovian way but not where higher cognitive faculties are concerned.

Originally posted by Bibliomaniac
reply to post by AbandonFaieth

 

Isn't it ironic how applications will say that disclosing the information does not automatically exclude you from the position...because I'm pretty sure it does.

Good luck.

it does say that and yet even no matter what it is for even something as stupid as mine they still say "get bent" go work for McDs or something

reply to post by Bibliomaniac


As someone with a 'chequered past' I hate them.

And as I'm getting made redundant soon I'm not likely to get hired in this climate where 50 people are going for any job that's not cleaning toilets or working in McDs.

Some members may have seen some of my posts on this topic here at ATS. I am in no way a poster child for rightousness.
I have had my dealings with all sorts of law enforcement.....I do regret it....I had a serious "f"em attitude several years back......But I did stay employed the whole time.(if that means anything)....

Throughout my little history here, I have acquired two felonies, non violent, and many a dunken moment tickets.

I can tell you one thing......I put myself, with the help of the FED's through the local commuynity college for two years. I graduated, took a couple of tests for a local union hall, and they called less than a month later....It may not be the work that most want, because we bust our buts in the elements, but it is nice money and a fun experience on the jobsite.

Oh, my background had nothing to do with me scoring this job.....It is all brain power. I scored higher than most everybody taking the test...........Go back to school if you are in a situation like me.....I walked in the college and said, "I have no idea what I am doing," they pointed me in the direction.

If liejunkie can do it, anyone can...................I am happy buying my silver eagle every week.

Unless you are a serious pervert child molestor......Then I have no sympathy for you and you deserve the worse treatment the system can put you through.

In the UK, background checks are carried out by the Association of Chief Police Officers, a company limited by guarantee and are little more than a further income stream for the police.

We have limitations on convictions that are 'spent'. This means that any conviction whilst a juvenile, is removed from any criminal records along with adult convictions that are more than seven years old. Only murder and child molestation convictions should remain at the Criminal Records Bureau, all else are legally 'spent'.

If a CRB check is a mandatory requirement for securing an employment contract, the employer usually pays and must provide the ACPO with suitable reasons for requiring the check. The catch all acceptable reason is 'working with and access to possibly vulnerable individuals'! This could and does include working the till in a supermarket or serving burgers! I have come across companies that demand full clean CRB for people working in their call centres! The excuse? They may on occasion have to speak to 'vulnerable individuals'! A call centre where most calls are recorded for 'training purposes'!

My concerns are that the growing demand for CRB checks will/could further erode our civil liberties. If any Brit reading this is subject to a CRB disclosure that reveals any conviction more than seven years old, seek legal advice and then please publish your experiences here at ATS!

I had background checks when I worked 8 years ago at a major British arena as part of the security which makes sense, especially when my first task was to protect the doors that Prince Charles and other VIPs came through.

I think we're used to it in the UK because obviously for decades the police need to do the background checks before you work somewhere that requires one if it involves high profile people, children, that kind of thing.

I'm on the fence about background checks. I believe that a basic background check is a good thing to do, but I think there needs to be some statute of limitations on how long many non-violent crimes stays on your record.