1 in 8 applicants denied job because of criminal history

Background checks are a necessary tool in today’s sometimes violent and certainly litigious society. If a rug installation company was to hire an installer, who eventually rapes and kills a client, then the rug installation company would be held libel for the animals actions. This example is one that happens all to often.

A background check may solve this problem in many situations. With just  a name and address a company can vet a new hire to see of that person has a criminal background and has ever committed a violent crime.

Church Executive Magazine reports one in eight background checks conducted on volunteers or prospective employees through LifeWay Christian Resources found a criminal history that might have kept an individual from working or volunteering at a church!

This is where people who are supposed to be held at a higher standard, but unfortunately predators have no boundaries.

“While most screenings returned clean records or only minor traffic offenses, in the report 450 churches requested more than 5,000 background checks on volunteers and prospective employees. LifeWay found 80 serious felony offenses and more than 600 people had some type of criminal history that may have disqualified them from volunteering or working at a church.”

“While vital, experts say sex-offender registries alone aren’t very effective in spotting sexual predators. They list only those convicted of a crime. Because victims typically are reluctant to come forward and with statutes of limitations on molestation laws in many states, only an estimated 10 percent of sexual predators are brought to justice.”

Robert Siciliano Identity Theft Speaker discussing background checks