(2) The other option is to check whether the person has a police or arrest record which can be done at your local police department. All you need to do is fill in a request for information form together with a nominal fee payment.

(3) If you want to check whether a person has a prison record, you can try browsing the Federal Prisons Bureau website. The website has an online database where you can search the desired information on a person who have been imprisoned in a federal prison.

(4) Similarly, if you want to know whether a person has ever been imprisoned in a state prison, you can also browse online and check the various State penitentiary websites or you can obtain the criminal records by requesting for the information directly from the prison facility itself.

(5) If you want to investigate whether person has criminal convictions particularly on sexual offences, most States have an online sex offender registry database which you can peruse; alternatively you can visit the nearest sex offender registry department in your community. If there is no local sex offender registry department in your area, your next option is to obtain the information from your local police department. There are also a few websites set up by concerned citizens that provide free information about a sex abuser's criminal history, the nature of the sex crime perpetrated and where the person is currently residing in the community. However, you need to be careful when using non-governmental websites as their records may be incorrect or not updated regularly.

(6) Conducting your own investigation on a person's background is a laborious task. It does not help that in the United States, the criminal records are held by the respective States and therefore making the task of checking a person's background for crimes committed interstate very challenging. There is an easier way to conduct a nationwide criminal records search on a person using the service of online background check companies. These companies gather public and criminal records throughout the United States and compile them in a central database. Fees are charged for the service and it depends on the comprehensiveness of the information being requested. If you are planning to use such service, make sure that you subscribed only from reputable online background checks companies. Such companies update their database regularly and it is vital that you have the most recent information on a person in order to make an informed decision.

Carrying out a background check is absolutely worth your while, especially when it concerns the safety of your loved ones. If you are suspicious of a person's character, do not hesitate in checking their background.

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