Wednesday, September 18, 2013

California Criminal Records Free List Online

By Ben Kingsley


In California, background screening is quickly becoming a standard practice in many workplaces and even businesses across the world. Organizations perform background checks as they are always on the lookout to mitigate their risks. Performing background checks is an effective and easy way for them to do so. In background screening, the records heavily relied on are criminal records as such records indicate any felonies or misdemeanour done by an individual thereby helping employers do the decision-making fast and with assurance. California criminal records can be acquired through the Department of Justice or California Attorney General.

Pursuant to California's Public Records Act, any Californian has the right to access public information maintained by local and state government agencies, including the Department of Justice. California, however, restricts access to certain records such as criminal and arrest records to legitimate law enforcement agencies, authorized applicant agencies, and those persons named on the records only. Requests from people whose purpose is neither any of these will not be accommodated.

In case of background checks or genealogy research, the Department of Justice cannot issue a certified copy of the criminal record requested. Instead, such agency will provide an informational copy only. Such copy indicates the same information with that of a certified copy. What only differs is that an informational copy cannot establish identity as it is not a valid document.

When appealing for a copy of a criminal record, you have to secure a Live Scan form which can be downloaded from any of the aforementioned agencies' websites. You must fill it out in its entirety with your personal details. In the request form, you have to check "record review" as the "type of application", enter "record review" on the "reason for application" line. The completed form must then be submitted along with a copy of an image of your Live Scan fingerprints. The payment for the processing of such request is $25. The usual turnaround time takes weeks to months depending on the volume of requests such agencies are receiving.

California has imposed many rules in procuring copies of criminal history information. Hence, background screening can be quite a tough task. Although an informational copy may be provided, this may not be sufficient for some researches or background checks. In this circumstance, you can try to obtain criminal records online through other independent sources.

The number of independent service providers online nowadays is relatively high. This, as a matter of fact, means that online users and customers are provided with many options to choose from. Service providers online range from free to fee based. Regardless of which type of online source you opt to resort to, they can give you the criminal or arrest records public you need in a much faster time compared to the usual turnaround time proffered by the aforesaid entities. Nevertheless, if you are concerned with the accuracy of the results of the record search, then you better choose the one that charges a minimal fee but yields precise and comprehensive results.




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