Background Checks : Why Take Them Away?

Both National Security and individual privacy were massively affected by the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. In a matter of minutes, four airplanes were

But the people that do not have that opportunity are offered little help in finding somewhere to live. Employment is also an issue faced. Many places do not want to hire someone that has been in prison before. Also, the level of education that the person has is a contributing factor to employers saying no to ex-prisoners. Often times background checks are initiated with the application process of a job and when someone tells them that they have been convicted of a crime the employer is a little more hesitant on hiring this person. But on the other end, only about 62 percent of potential employers would not consider hiring ex-inamtes, only 32 percent reported using background checks on a consistent basis. 38 percent of the potential employers would consider hiring ex-inmates (Police Operations).

The main issue with background checks is a broken system it now operates under. The national instant criminal background check system has been in use since 1998 and to date has processed “160 million transactions of these almost one million were denied.” (National Instant Criminal Background Check System Operations 2012) While these numbers may sound promising we will explain later on why it has not had the desired effect. “As a result of the gun control act of 1968, certain people, such as convicted felons, immigration violators, sexual offenders and many others are prohibited from

This process can be viewed as a double edged sword as the applicant if given the opportunity to explain his plight, may be able to convince the employer that they are the person for the job in spite of the past record. Or, the delay in the disclosure may cost the employer in time and resources upon disclosure to seek other applicants if the applicant is disqualified for the charges. As Doleac and Hansen state regarding the inability of employers to determine up front if the applicant has a criminal history, the employer defaults to statistics which “eliminate groups that they think, on average, are more likely to have a recent conviction” (How Ban The Box Backfires,

The criminal background of the offender possibilities of obtaining employment because many employers are not willing to hired ex-convicts. According to the authors “A survey of 3,000 employers in four major metropolitan areas revealed that two-thirds would not knowingly hire an ex-prisoner” (Abadinsky, 2015, p.182). The effects of the criminal record are crucial to the offender’s involvement in crime. The lack of employment is directed to poor financial stability and reinvolvement in crime. Statistics demonstrate the employers negative view on the criminal record “The results showed that there was a reduction of 50 per cent in the

Having a criminal background of any sort hampers your ability to get a job quite a bit. Many employers look at criminal histories to filter out applicants they don’t believe will fit. They have the legal right to deny you a job if they feel the gravity of the crime or the length of time since it happened doesn’t suit their liking. Some jobs cannot be given to those with a criminal background.

Seung-Hung Cho was a Virginia Tech student and the second deadliest mass shooter in the history of the United States. Cho was deemed mentally ill and an imminent danger, by a court ruling. He purchased a gun (sans required background check) and murdered thirty two people (CNN.com). Thirty two lives that could have been saved by a background check. A required background check could keep deadly weapons out of the wrong hands and save numerous lives.

Once an ex-offender finds a field in which they can work, they can be subject to further scrutiny through the use of criminal background checks by hiring managers. Nally, et al. (2014) noted a number of studies showing that

President Obama has announced the use of his executive action targeted at reducing gun violence and established the importance of background checks due to the mass shootings that have occurred within the last years. Obama’s actions are directed to fix the gun show loophole; this will require that anyone associated with selling guns must have a license and must conduct background checks on everyone who purchase a gun, though these background checks will not always be applied. Obama wants people who purchase guns at gun shows to go through the same background checks as those who purchase them in stores. After some critics claimed that Obama has no respect for the Second Amendment, he says he believes in the Second Amendment, the right to bear

A background check typically screens a candidates personal and credit information, degrees obtain, character, lifestyle, criminal history and their general reputation. Organizations in healthcare, financial services and childcare routinely utilize background checks. Drug testing is the most common medical test used and the reason for the testing is to establish a candidate’s ability to perform their job tasks. Employee drug use can cause increased absences, accidents, errors and healthcare costs and worker’s compensation claims, lower employee morale and lead to higher

It’s is important that when conducting a background check that we follow the guidelines set forth by EEOC and the Fair Credit Reporting Act. For instance, EEOC filed charges against Dollar General after a candidate was given a conditional employment offer and later revoked after the company had discovered that she had a six-year-old conviction for possession of drugs. The company’s policy stated that any applicant that had been charged with possession, would be disqualified for a period of 10 years. EEOC found the company actions resulted in disparate treatment. Especially since the applicant had listed her convictions on the application. Not to mention, she had been performing the same duties at another employer for the last four years.

For one thing, background checks can aware us if the person has any criminal history that involves violence and short tempered people. This would give us the opportunity to have more gun control and it reduces the deaths by guns. According to the article of the leading source for pros and cons of controversial issues, “Guns were the

In Bay County, Florida, conducting a criminal background check on anyone is a doddle. The state’s government has tapped several agencies to maintain public records including documents of criminal history information. These agencies are

Becoming a police officer in today’s society is a great challenge. One must have a clean record, good credit and debit score, decent immediate family, and with many more requirements. When I first went through the application process, I could not understand why so much information was needed about my past. The application consists of education information going back to elementary school. Every immediate family member with dates of birth and home address. All open credit debts with monthly expenses information was also needed. I would think that, how an individual spends their personal money should be a private matter. Just as well, who someone affiliate with off the job should not be of any concern to an employer. After watching the documentary, The Seven Five, I clearly understood the significance to an extensive background check to be completed in order to becoming an eligible police cadet.

It is against the law in the United States to inquire if an applicant has ever been arrested or convicted of a crime, regardless of the applicant's age (Human Resources MBA, 2017). Therefore, to prevent lawsuits, the officials of Neptune Lodge Enterprise have decided to reject the idea of requesting a candidate’s criminal history on the 2017 application.