Criminal background check, as the name implies, is the process of checking past records of an individual for any criminal or unlawful activity. Criminal history background check can be crucial to scrutinize potential incidents that may pose risk to people, assets or resources.
For example, in many jobs, criminal background check for employment in a mandatory process before an individual can be hired on a certain position. Employment types that include custody of financial assets, selling insurance, old age homes, child care, healthcare, etc. that give an individual access to vulnerable population or resources, requires a criminal history background check.
Law enforcement is the first and the oldest application of fingerprint biometrics and its history dates back to 19th century. Fingerprint biometrics in law enforcement applications has been used for the identification of criminals, crime scene investigations, forensics, criminal history background check, criminal background check for employment, etc. Background check with fingerprints is considered superior than background checks with dimorphic details.
Local, state as well as national level law enforcement agencies maintain criminal history records of their jurisdiction. These criminal history records or “rap sheet”, as it is generally referred to, include all incidents of arrests and prosecutions. Law enforcement agencies have been using fingerprint biometrics to maintain criminal history records.